Perth Voice Interactive

BILLIONAIRE mining magnate Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting has been given the go-ahead to erect a sign five times the size allowed by Perth council’s planning rules after lord mayor Basil Zempilas intervened in the approval of a much smaller version.

Hancock Prospecting was given temporary approval for a 40sqm sign at its Ventnor Avenue headquarters in West Perth last November by council planners, who initially baulked at an application for a 155sqm version.

But council minutes reveal that some time between that approval and Mr Zempilas taking leave from the council mid-February to contest the state seat of Churchlands, he “called in” the application so it could be determined by the council.

Mr Zempilas wasn’t at the council’s February meeting, by which time the sign had reached 105sqm and came with an officer’s recommendation for refusal, but deputy lord mayor Bruce Reynolds put up an amended motion to give it the thumbs-up.

Councillor Liam Gobbert warned there’d been an “abuse of process” and argued against the sign’s approval.

“It exceeds the size restriction by 88sqm,” Cr Gobbert said.

“That is not a minor encroachment to allow for some architectural feature of minor protrusion.

“It is excessive, and therefore contributes to the impact on the local amenity.”

Cr Gobbert said it should have been “very obvious” why the City’s planners had refused the 155sqm sign, making it a mystery why the current application had been brought before council.

Cr Clyde Bevan and said the sign would help give the city vibrancy.

“The song goes ‘Bright Lights, Big City’, so if you compare us to Manhattan, Singapore, Sydney, does it mean we’re just not big enough to be a City of Light,” Cr Bevan said.

“Those cities are vibrant.

“They’ve got a lot of vitality, a lot of lights, which make them very, very colourful, and I see that as an attraction to those cities, and I think it’s an attraction to this city when we eventually grow up.”

Cr Reynolds said while the City wanted a visually cohesive streetscape in West Perth, signage could add to a city’s vibrancy, identity and historical character.

“For instance, when you look at old photographs, signage is often an integral part of the streetscape, reflecting on the commercial energy and the cultural identity of the time,” he said.

Cr Reynolds said a well-designed sign was better than a “blank canvas” and the City’s signage policy had been adopted last year with a “merit” provision to allow discretion in the size.

He said Hancock Prospecting had only sought a three-year approval just in cast there were “unforeseen negative impacts”.

His argument carried the day and he got support from Cr Bevan and colleagues Raj Doshi, Viktor Ko and Catherine Lezer, while Crs Gobbert and David Goncalves voted against.

by STEVE GRANT