Perth Voice Interactive

THE WA government has rejected the Mt Hawthorn community’s concerted campaign to ban flats in their back streets.

Ninety per cent of surveyed residents supported the Vincent city council’s proposed amendment to its town planning scheme to ban multiple dwellings in residential streets, restricting them to main perimeter roads.

But WA planning minister John Day has knocked back the amendment request, stating existing rules are good enough.

Mayor John Carey says his staff advise that’s baloney, with several suburban sites in Mount Hawthorn having the potential for flats. The amalgamation of adjoining blocks also gives rise to their potential.

“I am deeply disappointed,” Mr Carey says. “I think the planning minister is out of touch on this issue… it’s arrogant to say ‘we know best’.

“The community campaigned heavily on this issue, there was an overwhelming response for the ban on multiple dwellings.

“This is not the NIMBY brigade, because the City of Vincent is meeting our density targets along our transport corridors. High density along transport corridors makes sense, then allow lower density character areas behind them.

“Our ban on apartment blocks didn’t prevent infill: you could still do townhouses, you could still subdivide your block.”

Richard Morup says the government has treated the community with “contempt”.

“We look to our local council planning scheme to protect our neighbourhood,” he says.

“I’ve heard the minister tells councils that they need to update their scheme to better manage infill development pressure, yet here our council is trying to do so and he knocks them back.

“From the perspective of ordinary families, you buy a home in a character area with the expectation that character is protected by the planning scheme, and a locally elected council is controlling the local planning decisions.

“People invest in the area with the expectation of some certainty from the planning system.”

by DAVID BELL