Perth Voice Interactive

WA’S planning approval system is flawed, says lawyer and Bayswater councillor Dan Bull, who’s refusing to be part of it.

Cr Bull this week sent his council’s CEO, Francesca Lefante, a resignation letter stating he no longer wanted to be the deputy member of the metropolitan central development assessment panel, which is responsible for projects of more than $2 million.

“I tender this resignation on the basis that I am unable in good conscience to be a member of [the] DAP and provide support to a system that I have become fundamentally against,” Cr Bull writes.

The letter was prompted by last week’s DAP decision to approve a seven-storey apartment complex at 9-11 King William St, Bayswater — despite the council’s objection, a five-storey building cap and formal complaints from about 600 locals.

He criticised the fact the majority of panel members were unelected, branding it as “undemocratic”.

University of WA planning expert Linley Lutton says DAPs are approving “inappropriate” high-rise buildings willy-nilly across the city.

“This [Bayswater] development is a very good example of the type of poor urban planning occurring all over Perth at present due to the desire by our state planners to randomly increase residential density,” he told the Voice.

“Developments like this are being shoehorned onto inappropriate locations regardless of context.

“The density being sought on this site is equivalent to 270 dwellings per hectare. To give you some indication of just how inappropriate that is in this context; in London, the greatest density permitted in urban areas outside central London, where there is maximum access to all forms of public transport, is 165–275 dwellings per hectare.

“In a suburban context, similar to Bayswater, the maximum permitted is 80–120 dwellings per hectare, which would equate to between 8-12 apartments for this site.”

The 9-11 King William Street development will have 27 apartments.

Mr Lutton is hosting a public talk on Perth planning called “changing the ethos”, which will cover how detrimental poor planning decisions like these are ruining suburbia. He says three-storey developments should be built in Bayswater because the height respects existing urban amenity and character, and most importantly, considers community values rather than developer demands.