Perth Voice Interactive

COUNCILLOR Brent Fleeton is replacing Cr Dan Bull as Bayswater council’s deputy member of the local development assessment panel.

The switch comes after the Voice broke news last month that Cr Bull, a lawyer, had resigned as he didn’t want to be part of an “undemocratic” state-appointed DAP.

Cr Fleeton, an active member of the Liberal Party, will sit on the metro central panel when council panellists Chris Cornish and Terry Kenyon can’t, and get to vote on applications of more than $2 million.

He told the Voice he wanted the job because, “I think I can add value to our community on this extremely important approval body”.

He stated in his nomination form for last October’s election he wants, “development of our suburbs to be welcomed, not delayed by pressure groups”.  He promises to prioritise council and residents’ demands when making decisions, but refused to say how he might have voted if he’d been on the panel last month, weighing up Yolk Property Group’s divisive plans for 27-apartment complex at 9-11 King William Street.

“I wasn’t there to go over all the details so I’m not willing to comment on that,” he told the Voice.

“Personally, I think I’ve made my views clear on the development: I would have liked five storeys at 20 metres.” Instead, the panel allowed seven storeys to be squeezed in 20m.

The council has sent a letter to WA planning minister John Day demanding that planning powers be returned to locally elected councils.

by EMMIE DOWLING

NEW Bayswater councillor Brent Fleeton has tried — and narrowly failed — to severely restrict public question time at council meetings.

Describing the sessions as a “demoralising experience” he’d sought to restrict question time to 15 minutes in total, with all questions required to be submitted in writing hours beforehand, instead of being asked in person on the night.

His attempt followed his lambasting last month of resident Greg Smith for allegedly yelling out “sieg heil!” — a remark that had followed the mayor telling a resident he wouldn’t get an immediate answer to a question because it “required too much detail”.

Cr Fleeton, a member of the Friends of Israel WA group, stated many of his north ward constituents are Jewish.

Bear it

“You deal with so much crap,” he said to mayor Barry McKenna at the meeting. “It’s a demoralising experience.” To that, a resident interjected, “you’re insulting us!”.

Cr Terry Kenyon did not support the gag saying question time is the “only forum [residents] get” with the council.

“We might not like what they say, but we have to bear it,” the former mayor said.

by EMMIE DOWLING

BAYSWATER council will spend an extra $100,000 this year planting 200 trees.

Greening the city is emerging as a main priority for the council under new mayor Barry McKenna, as it prepares to increase its canopy from 13.2 per cent to 20 per cent by 2025.

The council last month decided to up its stock this planting season — from March to August — as part of a new “urban tree canopy/forestry strategy”.

It comes as half the 14 requests made at the recent annual electors’ meeting related to greening the city.

Councillor Chris Cornish met with the Voice on Bedford’s Lawrence Street.

“There could be big Moreton Bay Fig trees down there because there are no power lines down this side,” he says, pointing down the road.

A resident popped out for a chat, saying he’s pulling out three Queensland box trees because they’re a hassle and expensive to prune.

And he isn’t enthusiastic about more trees going in, potentially blocking his wife’s 180-degree view of the city.

It’s attitudes like this that Cr Cornish is trying to change by pointing out the benefits of tree-lined streets for house prices, health and ecology.

He and Cr Dan Bull have both printed 2000 “street tree-planting request” forms, urging locals to ask the council for a tree on their verge.

The council allows for a tree on every 15m of verge, but Cr Cornish wants that to change to every 10m.

He also intends on tweaking what can and can’t be planted in the city, after consultation with tree experts.

Planting flora that agrees with local fauna will be ideal, he says.

Councils can choose between 24 native trees — four fruit, and nine deciduous, including jacaranda and frangipani.

The council also last week decided to consider spending $75,000 on developing a significant tree register, which would offer protection for trees on private land, and $40,000 on arborist services.

The canopy strategy, expected to also include a greening plan for all town centres including Bayswater, is costing $200,000 this financial year.

Funds are sourced from the $1.05 million sale of Lot 17, 89 Robinson Road, Morley, in December.

The land was bought by the WA government for its $1.12 billion NorthLink project.

by EMMIE DOWLING

THE folk from Kyilla community farmers’ markets want everyone to ride down to the March 12 markets for bike week, going as far as to offer vouchers for anyone who shows up on a treadly. Run by the Kyilla primary P&C (the school’s Milla, Chelsea and James are pictured above) the students are running a free valet bike parking service and there’ll be free mechanic checkups from the bike doctor, along with all the usual fruit, vegies and bread at at Kyilla Park on Clieveden Street, 8am to 11.30am

MOST night markets leave you waddling away, regretting that third pork bun but this Human Rights Night Market will hopefully leave you with the warm and fuzzies.

Amnesty International WA, our local Voice activist regulars from the Perth Action Centre and the Perth Indigenous Rights Group are hosting their first human rights market to collect local networks to the public.

There’ll be stalls from a bunch of the local human rights groups along with live entertainment from Bahasa Malay and Bulgarian born artist Nora Karailieva.

Organiser Sophie Hartley says she’s hoping plenty of members of the public come down to see how they can get involved.

“We’re seeing a lot of support from Perth organisations and the public in general. We’re looking to host a night market at least annually from now on.”

It’s at the Northbridge Piazza March 18 from 5pm to 8pm and it’s free.

CORRECTION: The Voice last week ran a story on the WA Department of Racing, Gaming and Liquor investigating a roller hockey party at Bayswater Bowling Club (“A bit of stick”, March 5, 2016). The investigation is underway but we wrongfully said Gary McHugh was from the WA liquor commission, when he’s from the department.

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THE burgeoning Norwood Neighbourhood Association is on the hunt for interested locals keen to get on board with the precinct group that covers the wee area between Lord Street and the Midland train line. They’re having a barbie and opening up the neighbourhood garden for anyone to have a nosy at where they grow communal food, compost and cultivate work farms and they’ll be surveying locals about the future of the area, and raise some funds for the NNA with a bake sale. It’s Sunday March 13 at Norwood Park on Summers St from 4pm with barbie and drinks provided.

PLANS for another small bar on Beaufort Street have been quashed by Vincent councillors but it’s looking like this one will be appealed to the powerful state administrative tribunal.

Vincent staff had recommended approval for the two-storey building and bar at the corner of Chatsworth Street, but mayor John Carey says it’s way too close to houses.

The no-vote was unanimous.

“The key concern from the community has been the opening of the bar on that corner so close to residential homes,” Mr Carey says.

“Anyone with common sense would understand there is an obvious impact of amenity on local residents, so that was a consideration,” along with a smattering of other minor planning considerations like a lack of parking.

Former councillor Dudley Maier lives nearby and told his erstwhile colleagues ahead of the vote another small bar in the area would lead to “the continuing creation of a monoculture on Beaufort Street”. Another resident agreed a bar there would be bad for families in the area.

Architect Patrick Hubble, working for owner A Yozzi, told the council the project would be a “high quality commercial development for dining, alfresco dining, cafe and bar”. It’d have at most 100 patrons at peak times: the extra carbays required by city rules require would make the site resemble a carpark. A Wilson car park is just across the road.

“We’ve taken great pains to minimise the effect on neighbours and add to the tapestry of Beaufort Street,” he said.

“The owners just want the best outcome for that site and to bring some wonderful cuisine to Beaufort Street.”

by DAVID BELL

A 16-YEAR-OLD chess whizz from Bayswater was the only player to beat grandmaster Nigel Short in an exhibition match last Sunday.

Patrick Gong, who attends Chisholm College, was among 31 WA chess experts simultaneously playing Short at the Rhein-Donnau Club.

It was the first time a grandmaster had played in Perth in 30 years and Gong says Short looked “a little bit shocked” when he realised he was beat.

“I knew I was winning three hours into the game, but it took me an additional two hours to break through Short’s defence,” says Gong.

“I was going to play Benoni Defence, but he chose an off-beat set up.

“I played some positional moves to improve my position, and I stopped him from having any counterplay.”

“Short shook my hand and remained silent, then turned to the next player — I felt he was a little bit shocked.”

Gong, who has a FIDE ranking of 2145, has won umpteen national and state tournaments. He represented Australia at the world youth chess Olympiad last year.

Chess prowess runs in the family and mum Shirley manages the under-16 national chess team.

She says Patrick got into chess when the family moved to Bayswater and he enrolled at the local primary school.

“Patrick not only has great passion in chess, also he is trying to promoting chess in the local community,” says Shirley.

“With the permission of Chisholm College, he set up a chess club early this year, which runs Wednesday after classes.

“He hopes more students enjoy the benefits that learning chess can bring. His goal is to become an Australian grand master and world champion.”

Short, now 50, was also a chess wunderkind: he rose to prominence when he challenged Garry Kasparov for the world championship in 1993, raising the profile of the game in a series of televised matches.

Last year Short caused controversy when he claimed women’s brains were not “hard-wired” for chess: in January he gobbled down some humble pie when he lost to female Chinese grandmaster, Wenjun Ju, at the New Zealand Chess Championship.

Short drew five matches and won the remaining 25 during his simultaneous bout in Perth.

The English grandmaster was visiting WA as part of an antipodean tour.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK