EVER since the state government handed approval powers to development assessment panels, architect and heritage expert Ian Molyneux says he’s been inundated by calls from people fighting huge developments popping up next door to them. “This is happening all over the metro area,” he says, with some people claiming large towers are making their homes…

A BIG turnout for a small extraordinary election saw Vincent councillor Emma Cole elected mayor with 78 per cent of the vote. Rival Malcolm Boyd upped his total from his 2015 mayoral run, scoring about 21 per cent. Jonathan Hallett was the clear frontrunner among the six people running for the vacant South Ward spot,…

A SIX-METRE Christmas tree adorning Vincent council’s foyer in December cost ratepayers $4500. Former councillor Dudley Maier has been quizzing council administration about who authorised the extravagant tree, which was located inside and not seen by most of the public. Vincent CEO Len Kosova said that he “authorised this expenditure” and told the Voice “every…

UNSEASONAL heavy rains and high water levels in the Swan River are making Maylands a mosquito mating capital. Bayswater mayor Barry McKenna says they’re likely to see a “spike in numbers” after the rains and they’re rolling out the six-wheeled amphibious mozzie buster to treat hard-to-reach breeding areas. The wee ATV cost council $30,000 in…

Voice reader Chris Elieff sent us this photo of what looks like a 1950s B-movie monster attacking Beaufort Street, but this gigantic-appearing insect is just a wee grasshopper on his windshield. He was pulling out of his new premises at Pressed for Time Ironing, on Seventh Avenue, when the bug landed on his van’s windscreen,…

OXFORD STREET traders will bring their wares out into the street next month when the road is closed to cars on Sundays from 3 – 9pm. The $12,000 Vincent council trial aims to make the area more pedestrian friendly, and Curtin Uni experts will research the impact the closure has on pedestrian numbers, demographics and…

TWO-TERM Liberal MP Michael Sutherland’s tenure is in peril, with the bookies predicting a Labor win in Mt Lawley. At the time of going to print, Labor’s candidate Simon Millman was $1.65 and Mr Sutherland $2.05. Mr Sutherland’s margin at the last election was about 9.6 per cent, but pundits reckon at least five per…

WITH high rise city living removing us even further from nature, ECU researcher Danica-Lea Larcombe is looking at whether indoor plants can bridge the void and improve the health of apartments dwellers. The classic Australian dream of buying a quarter acre is changing with the number of people in high rise apartments doubling over the…

A REPORT on accountability and transparency at Perth city council has recommended it changes from a “traditional” to an “open government” approach. The report, requested by councillors last year during the furore surrounding lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi’s undeclared travel, reviewed local governments around Australia, and suggested Perth transition from a management approach, which provides accountability…

IT’S been a long, uphill, red-tape ridden battle but residents around East Perth train station could finally pop the champagne this week after getting a commitment from the Liberal party for a $300,000 pedestrian crossing on East Parade. Liberal Mt Lawley MP Michael Sutherland says it’s been a saga trying to bend Main Roads’ ear…