Perth Voice Interactive

THE eternal saga of the East Perth concrete batching plants drags on with Vincent council holding a special meeting July 12 to discuss its plan to see the back of them.

The two plants—owned by companies Holcim and Hanson—want to stick around, arguing they need to be able to deliver concrete direct to construction projects in the city (a claim disputed by locals who watched the Queens Riverside concrete pour be serviced by trucks that drove all the way from Cockburn Cement south of the river).

“It’s not in line with Directions 2031 and in my opinion is suppressing the potential development here, which could be a funky, urban New York feel,” says local Dean Fiore.

“I come past every morning and pass the train station, and there are people in suits, on bikes, and they’re right next to this big industrial machinery – it’s out of place,” Mr Fiore says.

David D (who didn’t want his last name used as he reckons plant managers have bullied him during his long campaign against their operations) says a Perth council meeting in 1996 acknowledged the plants would destroy the amenity, but were approved on the understanding it was a temporary fix.

Mr D, who’s lived in the area long enough to remember tramping up to school past the old East Perth Tavern and the kindy next door (“Think about that,” he pauses), says the plants were given a firm exit date when former planning minister John Day gave them a five-year license extension in 2012.

With that drawing near both plants have applied to operate indefinitely and Vincent council will make a decision on July 12. Council staff have recommended giving them a 12-month extension to pack their bags and to also give the minister time to approve the city’s new Local Planning Scheme (which will zone the plants out of that part of town).

It’s likely both plants will appeal to the SAT and ask for permanent tenure, in which case planning minister Rita Saffioti has a 14-day window to step in and make that decision herself, and Vincent council’s written to Ms Saffioti imploring her to give the plants the heave ho.

Mayor Emma Cole says under their new Local Planning Scheme they want to rejuvenate the area by rezoning it as residential and commercial, taking advantage of its location as a transport hub and turn it into a thriving neighbourhood. The plants prevent that, mainly because under the WA Planning Commission’s imposed buffer zone no one’s allowed to build residential developments around them anyway, but also because the plants make the area a little unappealing with the constant noise and dust kicked up by trucks.

“All the landowners, whether they’re residential or commercial, have said ‘we’ve had enough of the concrete batching plants’. They want to see the neighbourhood grow,” Ms Cole says.

The special council meeting’s on at July 12 at 6pm at Vincent council HQ and it’s open to the public.

by DAVID BELL and STEVE GRANT

A NOT-FOR-PROFIT is taking inspiration from Detroit and holding a soup and ideas night to raise cash to improve Vincent.

Punters pay $10 for a bowl of soup and a vote, and during the meal they listen to four-minute pitches from people working on projects that help the local community.

The Detroit SOUP nights started in the US five years ago—raising cash for public art projects, urban farms and social justice causes—and were held in winter.

Transition Town Vincent, a not-for-profit group who shares ideas about sustainability and self-sufficiency, is hosting its own “Vincent Neighbourhood SOUP” at the Paddington Alehouse (and owner Neil Randall says he’s got head chef Brendon Burrow making an “organic leak and potato soup with crusty bread roll drizzled with a touch of truffle oil”).

Every diner gets a vote and the winning project takes home the ticket sales, called a microgrant, for that night.

If you have an idea that would help the community they’re still open to pitches via vincentsoup@outlook.com.

It’s on July 24 at 6pm and if you want to head along for a meal and a vote, get your ticket from Eventbrite at http://www.goo.gl/gbZWR9 (or search “Vincent Neighbourhood SOUP” on Eventbrite).

by DAVID BELL

PLANS to build a petrol station opposite Mt Hawthorn primary school have been refused by Vincent council, following a wave of opposition from locals.

The proposed site, on the corner of Scarborough Beach Road and Buxton Street, was previously a servo and is now a Red Cross Shop.

Owner B R Rispoli wanted to build a new “Vibe” service station, but council staff said it failed to comply on nearly a dozen planning fronts, from the potential for fumes and noise to the design not enhancing the area as a town centre.

When the application was advertised five months ago, dozens of objections were submitted to council.

Mount Hawthorn primary school P&C president Scott Yelland wrote that he was, “totally opposed to a service station on this site”.

He said it was directly opposite a primary school with more than 700 students and a daycare centre, and having kids walk past with cars entering and exiting, “will only lead to more dangerous situations”.

“Traffic congestion already exists at school drop off and pick up times—the road isn’t designed to handle more congestion.”

Shane Meek wrote “this business will not fit in with what has been achieved in transforming Mt Hawthorn into the wonderful place it is today”.

At the June 27 Vincent council meeting, councillors unanimously voted to reject the plan.

Mayor Emma Cole said “we’ve given consistent advice to the applicant about the many nonconforming aspects of this application” and it had taken up a lot of the city’s time.

We contacted B R Rispoli to see if they would appeal the council’s decision with the state administrative tribunal, but they didn’t get back to us.

by DAVID BELL

BAYSWATER council won’t take action over wetlands trees damaged by contractors at the D’Orazio-owned block near Eric Singleton Bird Sanctuary, because it could jeopardise its negotiations to buy the block next door.

When preliminary works started at the D’Orazio block in late July, the contractors overstepped the boundary into the wetlands and sawed off large limbs from several mature trees that were on public land.

Bayswater council investigated the incident but no outcome was made public, and at last week’s council meeting No Houses in Wetlands Deborah Bowie asked what the city was doing about the “overzealous preliminary works”.

Mayor Barry McKenna replied, “the city’s not progressed this matter,” and instead was focused on negotiations to buy the neighbouring largely-intact wetlands block, owned by the Carter family.

He said they felt “pursuing compliance action is considered to be contrary to the spirit of negotiations” and in any case action could only be taken against the contractor, not the developer or landowner.

About 50-60 mature paperbark trees were killed on that site (with consent of the Carters) when the D’Orazio work started, but the city is hoping that with a state government contribution of $1.5million they can buy the Carter land for $3m and restore it.

by DAVID BELL

A FECKLESS, cold-hearted burglar has attempted to break into the homeless support charity “The Shopfront” in Maylands.

The Shopfront serves up meals for the homeless, gives them free clothing and bedding, a place to have a shower and do their laundry, and connects them to health services.

The charity is not open on the weekend, and on Saturday June 10 at about 3.30pm a man attempted to break in to the Whatley Crescent site with an “unknown object’, according to WA Police.

He tried it on the front door, the back door, and a roller door—but failed to get in.

Then he tried to break into two vehicles parked there.

He ballsed that up too.

The five-time unsuccessful looter was described as light skinned, 20-25, medium build, short brown hair with a goatie, and was wearing a shirt with a big “8” on it.

Police are offering a reward for information about the attempted break-in: call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 and quote reference number 8563.

by DAVID BELL

PERTH MP John Carey has torn strips off Perth lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi’s council allies, describing their cosy relationship with the former Liberal state government as a “protection racket”.

While debating a bill on Wednesday to have councils audited by the auditor general, Mr Carey singled out Perth as an example of why codes of conduct need strengthening.

He named Ms Scaffidi’s allies one by one; “Lily Chen, failed Liberal candidate; Janet Davidson, failed Liberal candidate; Judy McEvoy, former staffer to Julie Bishop; Jim Adamos, fundraiser for Eleni Evangel; and Keith Yong, aspiring Liberal candidate. The majority of the council is run by Liberals who oppose abolishing alfresco fees, who kept the media gag and who oppose media transparency,” said Mr Carey.

“The Liberal party should be ashamed. It is no wonder that the former premier of WA said nothing about someone with 45 cases of serious misconduct,” Mr Carey said, referring to Ms Scaffidi’s ongoing case in front of the State Administrative Tribunal.

“Why? That is because it was a protection racket. The Liberals were protecting their own. That is what it was about.”

Mr Carey says suggestions from unaligned councillors get shot down.

“I genuinely want the City of Perth to do well, but I want it to open itself up to new ideas and have an open culture that embraces other ideas and says ‘we’re not the smartest people in the room; we want to embrace what the small business sector is saying about alfresco fees; we want an open media policy; we want to consider changes to parking’.”

“However, if it does not come from that group [Ms Scaffidi’s allies], it will not be considered, and I find that poor local government, on both sides—whether it is a Labor council or a Liberal council.

“I was always open in admitting that I was a member of the Labor party, but I ran as myself, and so did everyone else on the Vincent council.”

The Voice contacted councillors Chen, Davidson, McEvoy, Adamos and Yong, but they either declined to comment or didn’t get back to us.

by DAVID BELL

VINCENT has joined a growing number of councils calling for third party appeals of planning decisions.

In WA only the applicant can appeal, but in other states a neighbour can appeal the approval of a development next door, and in Tasmania a third party can appeal if they’re “injuriously affected”, with other states having similar guidelines.

Vincent council wants the ability to appeal decisions made by the state government’s Development Assessment Panel after it approved several big, contentious developments in the city’s backyard.

Mayor Emma Cole says letting neighbours and local governments appeal would be “putting the DAP on notice that their decisions will be scrutinised”.

Ms Cole cited DAP’s approval of a five-storey, 38-unit development in Highgate, despite Vincent’s Local Planning Policy—developed in consultation with locals—capping the area at three storeys.

The DAP is supposed to give “due regard” to the LPP, but Ms Cole says in this case it wasn’t.

“I think the Wright Street development is a very good case study where the City of Vincent would not have hesitated to appeal that decision.

“We were saying three storeys is the correct height here, and the DAP argued that it was actually a transitional area, which was not the intention…clearly established in our brand new Built Form Policy.”

Opponents of third party appeals say they’ll result in an even-more clogged-up planning system.

In a report on third party appeals by judge Christine Trenorden, at a town planning conference in 2009, she wrote “they will result in some projects being delayed and in some cases, cancelled, with the developer returning to the drawing board.

“There will be costs. However, the result is likely to be beneficial in the long term, leading to consequences such as better planning outcomes, based on a full and proper assessment taking into account local knowledge, and transparency of decision-making with consequent community confidence in the process and resulting in better, higher quality development.”

The council will write to the WA Local Government Association, new planning minister Rita Saffioti, and attorney general John Quigley to advise them they want third party appeal rights.

by DAVID BELL

LAST week we said Beatty Park leisure centre was in urgent need of repairs only a year after its big $17 million redevelopment. Those works (stages one to three) were actually finished in 2013.

There was a planned stage four to fix up the original 1962-era parts, like the ground floor plant room and the grandstand, but it never went ahead.

PERTH council CEO Martin Mileham has hit back at suggestions they’ve neglected the east end of the city, saying the council’s pumped several millions into the area over the years.

Perth MP John Carey has been holding “City Summit” forums asking locals for suggestions to improve their area, and says a lot of locals he’d doorknocked in East Perth felt the area lacked vibrancy and offered little for tourists.

The PCC press release stated, “despite commentary to the contrary, the City of Perth has delivered more than $61 million in public infrastructure and activation in the East End since 2014”.

Mr Mileham said the city had a five-year plan for works in the area, including a $7m investment in the Wellington Square neighbourhood, a $1.4m overhaul of McLean Laneway, more CCTV around Wellington Square and other hotspots, street furniture and arty “urban interventions”.

Huge turnout

The city-wide “Urban Forest” plan had also prioritised East Perth as a hotspot , and the city will be working more closely with the private sector (which has been investing big in the East End—$2billion since 2008) so they can, “capitalise on this through streetscape enhancements, activation interventions on public and private land, marketing, branding and investment attraction.”

Meanwhile, the latest Perth “City Summit” has had another a huge turnout.

The Thursday June 27 meeting invited CBD and Northbridge residents/traders to share their ideas on how to improve their suburb.

So many people RSVPd they had to relocate the summit to a function room at the State Theatre Centre, but even that wasn’t big enough, with 130 people attending and spilling out into the foyer.

It was the third forum organised by Perth MP John Carey and the biggest yet, following recent meet-ups with East and West Perth locals.

The final forum bringing everyone together is on August 19.

You can RSVP on the “Perth City Summit” Facebook page or call John Carey’s office on 9227 8040.

by DAVID BELL