Perth Voice Interactive

PEOPLE who park in bays reserved for motorists with disabilities should be fined up to $3000 says Stirling city councillor Samantha Jenkinson.

Cr Jenkinson is pleased the Barnett government is raising penalties for illegally parking in an ACROD bay but says the fines should be higher.

“People do not realise the disruption they cause with this selfish act,” says Cr Jenkinson, who’s used a wheelchair since suffering paraplegia at 19 in a car accident.

“It could mean missing a doctor’s appointment or some other important meeting with a specialist.”

Under the government’s changes, the maximum penalty imposed by a court doubles from $1000 to $2000. On-the-spot fines more than double, from $140 to $300.

Wall of shame

Illegal parking in ACROD bays is so bad an “Australian disabled parking wall of shame” Facebook page has been created, displaying photos of cars illegally parked in the distinctive blue-painted bays. Examples of illegal use include police vehicles and a rubbish skip.

National Disability Services state manager Terry Simpson wants on-the-spot fines increased to $500.

“I think that having rangers patrolling carparks more often and a higher fine will deter drivers,” he says.

Enforcing

“Part of the problem is that we are reliant on the public and shopkeepers to phone up the council and inform them someone is parked illegally in a disabled bay. We need better ways of enforcing the rules and punishing these selfish drivers.”

NDS says there are 13,679 ACROD permit holders in the municipality and Stirling council says there are 360 ACROD bays in council-managed carparks. Last financial year it received just 17 complaints specifically related to illegal ACROD parking.

The council voted to write to the WA government to request a $3000 maximum penalty.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

STIRLING city council will continue to charge schools for using council reserves, despite a strong push from some councillors for the fee to be waived.

Following an indexed three per cent increase, schools will be charged $65 for three hours or more and $32.50 for up to three hours.

Cr David Michael says the charge raised just $8000 last year: “Schools are community organisations, not customers,” he says.

“We provide free access for junior sports clubs, so why not schools?”

Cr Keith Sargent says granting schools free access will see the council spend more on maintenance.

“If you charge someone full price for a Mars Bar, people only tend to buy around three a month,” he said, bringing to bear his expertise as a supermarket worker.

“Schools are community organisations, not customers,”

“But if you put them on special they buy a box, and if they are free they take as much as they can get.

“Having a nominal fee prevents overuse and abuse of our already highly used reserves.”

In the 2013/14 financial year, 35 schools booked reserves in Stirling: 29 were located within the municipality and six outside.
Officers reported most of the 554 bookings in 2013/14 were for extra-curricular sports programs, including athletics carnivals, lapathons and football matches.

“With the state government increasingly removing and/or reducing the size of schools it is likely that demands on public open space for school activities, including both carnivals and physical activity lessons, will increase in the future,” staffers noted.

Cr David Boothman says the fee is reasonable and will cost schools just 21 cents per student, assuming 300 kids for a full day.

“Our budget for reserve maintenance is $21.5 million, so I think this nominal fee is acceptable,” he told colleagues.

“Only two schools have complained and the fee has been in place for a while.”

Council approved the updated charge, which includes one free use of a reserve for each school.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

THIS year’s WA tree climbing championships will be held in Hyde Park.

Participants are usually arborists and tree surgeons decked out with full ropes and harness.

Last year it was held in Araluen Botanic Park and before that in King’s Park, but organisers Tree Climbing WA reckon Hyde Park’s towering mature trees make it ideal.

Vincent councillors approved the competition without complaint, charging $235 a day for the use of eight trees.

RECOMMENDATIONS on councils mergers for Perth, Vincent, Bayswater and Stirling are expected to be finished later this week.

WA local government advisory board chair Mel Congerton says recommendations for most of Perth’s metro councils are nearly done.

More work is needed on a merger plan that includes Melville and Cockburn, with knock-on impacts for Fremantle, East Fremantle, Kwinana, Canning and Gosnells.

“We will submit the remainder of the recommendations to local government minister Tony Simpson as soon as they are ready and we will put on hold the balance until we get further submissions on the revised proposals,” Mr Congerton said.

“The board recognises that the changes we are considering are significantly different from the proposals that were advertised recently.”

Mr Congerton adds changes were included after taking account of extensive feedback from the community.

Mr Simpson has the power to accept or reject the Walgab’s recommendations but not to amend them.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

PLANS for a $9 million development on Angove Street have been stymied by the Vincent development assessment panel, which wants a smaller building. Owner Luke Saraceni watched from the public gallery as the DAP deferred its decision, pending the submission of scaled down plans. It’s a smaller project than Mr Saraceni is used to dealing with—the Raine Square redevelopment he lost to Bankwest was around $500million—but it’s likely to shrink further still if it’s to get the nod, with the DAP wanting either a storey lopped off, the upper level set back or less bulk. The corner spot on Fitzgerald Street—currently a car yard—is described as an iconic site. Mayor John Carey says the six-storey shops and apartment proposal threatens to dwarf the low-lying retail spirit of surrounding Angove Street. The council has no say in the plans, which went straight to the DAP (which has on it two elected councillors on it and three government-appointed panellists). The Saracenis’ planning rep Ben Doyle complained to the DAP he’d been given the runaround by Vincent’s planning staff. “The advice we were provided by the city’s officers is that six storeys in this area may be acceptable,” he said, but that was “repeatedly contradicted” by the report planning staff then wrote. He described parts of the report as being “disingenuous,” and “inflammatory,” and accused it had “misrepresented some issues”, making it sound like he didn’t understand the planning process. “The officer’s report is not fair and balanced,” he said, adamant more density is needed in major corridors to meet WA government targets. “Thanks for the lecture, Ben,” Mr Carey replied. “The City of Vincent is supportive of high density along our corridors. We are meeting our targets for high density, so I don’t need a lecture from [Mr Doyle’s company] on this. I cannot in goodwill support this project which I think is overbulked in relation to Angove Street.” The redrawn draft will be presented to the DAP by October. by DAVID BELL

THE development assessment panel at Vincent is yet to refuse a project outright.

DAPs feature two councillors and three paid, state-appointed experts and need a majority of three to approve an item. They must handle applications valued at more than $7million, while developers can choose between the DAP and the elected council if their development is between $3m—$7m.

Since the Barnett government set them up, there’ve been 45 applications to the local DAP. Thirty-four have been approved, two withdrawn, and nine are still to be determined.
The optional threshold for an application going to DAP is being lowered to $2m (the government says they are more efficient than council planning processes). Mayor John Carey says important and controversial projects have benefited from the elected council’s careful consideration (such as the Domination Homes saga on Hobart Street the Voice reported on this year).

“Council on behalf of residents mediated a much better outcome for residents,” Mr Carey says.

He also suspects that if a development is hovering a bit below $2m, applicants might bump it up to qualify for DAP.

“What you’re going to see as a result of this is more developers moving to the DAP,” he says. “Our concern is we’re seeing more decisions taken away by council and we’re seeing more community concerns.”

While there are council and community concerns about the decisions DAPs make, a faster and easier approvals process was the explicit brief for the Barnett government in bringing them in.

THE allegedly “green” wall in the Northbridge Piazza is ailing badly, turning yellowy brown even before the next scorching summer rolls through. It’s not predicted to survive.

Built around 2009 all the original plants on the 8m wall were pulled out because they’d become less “leafy green” and resembled a gnarled, creepy hedge.

In 2012 they were replaced with nonya and zuki bouganvilleaus but these have also failed to thrive. Instead of filling their cubes, they struggle weakly around the bottom, rarely raising above 30cm.

The matter’s deemed so serious it was discussed in secret, with Perth city council infrastructure director Doug Forster briefing councillors behind closed doors at an urban development committee meeting.

The Voice learned his troops have discovered the western-facing wall is “exposing the plants to the extreme summer heat and burning of foliage”.

Water restrictions are also taking their toll, with irrigation allowed just two days a week and no sprinklers at all from June to August.

Being in containers the plants can’t grow roots deep enough to suck up nutrients, and fools keep vandalising ground-level containers.

Staff recommend a few replacement options, including coloured translucent panels, artworks, historical photos of Northbridge or electronic displays for time, temperature and UV ratings.

Councillors asked for costings on the coloured panels option.

by DAVID BELL

A STRIP of historic William Street will be better protected under Perth city council’s new conservation area.

The plan’s been eight years in the making, and intends to preserve the commercial streetscape built by the 1890s goldrush through to the early 1920s.

The PCC says the area’s significant as “the home for successive waves of migrant communities, especially Greek, Italian, Chinese and Vietnamese migrants who first settled in Northbridge”.

Initially many landowners between Roe and Aberdeen Streets were fearful, worried the plan would mean they’d never be able to develop their buildings.

The PCC held another round of consultation, soothing fears and letting owners know they’d still be able to build as long as whatever they put up fit the heritage streetscape.

Three landowners remained opposed but the PCC reckons the conservation area “doesn’t unduly impede the potential further development of properties”.

by DAVID BELL