Perth Voice Interactive

Fester food
AS a resident of an apartment building in East Perth that has two fast food outlets as commercial lessees, I totally empathise with the residents of Mt Lawley experiencing problems with Nando’s noxious rubbish (Voice, April 13, 2013).
Apart from the noisy ravens and ibis, it is a real health hazard having bags of rubbish festering in the heat, as this must surely attract rodent infestation as well.
My advice, for what it is worth, is the local residents must deal with this prolific rubbish problem by insisting that Nando’s use enclosed industrial/commercial type rubbish bins and associated private collection for waste products.
The council of owners of our building worked tirelessly to achieve this concern with our two fast food outlets, and it has solved the problem. I hasten to  add our situation was not nearly as dire as the Nando’s problem appears to be.
Has anyone tried to contact the owner/manager of the premises, the WA health department or the local council about this matter?
Sadly these fast food entities are usually franchised, and appeals to them often fall on deaf ears, with the eastern states HQ totally disinterested.
However, if they are faced with prosecution on health grounds they might be forced to do something about it.
Good luck, and don’t give up!
Pauline Handford
East Perth

Late as usual
THE City of Vincent seems to be yet again treating its Highgate residents with contempt.
On April 15 I received notification of its proposal to remove parking restrictions from a significant number of streets in close walking distance to Perth Oval during events.
The notice advises community consultation is open April 5–26 but the letter was dated April 12—a full week after consultation had commenced.
There is no reference to the proposal that I can find on the council website. The information sheet provided attempts to justify the change by stating congestion in surrounding areas is unlikely to be related to events at the oval.
With the recent upgrade the ground now has a capacity of 20,500. The capacity at Subiaco is 43,500 and the WACA 24,500. Both have residential parking restrictions in place in a substantial part of the surrounding areas.
Perth Oval has at least equivalent public transport facilities to Subiaco, being walking distance from Perth train station along with McIver, Claisebrook and East Perth stations. Additional temporary parking could be made available at Birdwood Square and Forrest Park if the council chose to utilise these.
The council’s stated rationale that the streets to be excluded from restrictions are beyond walking distance and are already congested is ridiculous. People park much further from the ground than the streets in question.
This seems to be another example of Vincent city council carrying out the bare minimum in public consultation.
M Jones
Highgate

Funereal feathers
THE Voice’s masthead black chook—never more appropriate than this week with passing of the UK’s Margaret Thatcher.
Lutah Salt
West Bank, Swan River Colony

STIRLING city councillors are getting jittery over their decision to slash verge collections from four to two collections a year.

The council has been inundated with complaints since moving this year to one green waste and one bulk verge collection.

Cr Rod Willox says he’d never seen so much rubbish around Mt Lawley and says he’s been flooded with emails and calls from upset residents.

Cr Elizabeth Re notes the council didn’t consult residents and, despite advertising the change, many remained unaware.

Cr Stephanie Proud warns colleagues against getting cold feet and losing sight of the initial vision to stop waste going to landfill.

“To go back to four collections would be a mistake,” she says.

“One option is to investigate a subsidy for collecting excess rubbish every fortnight.”

In 2011/12 the council paid a contractor $275,000 more than it  had planned to and staff estimated rates would have to rise $3 per household simply to maintain the level of service.

A report estimated cutting to two collections would save $500,000 a year: Whether that’s been achieved is not known.

Cr Bill Stewart wants to about-face and consider funding an extra two verge collections in the 2013/14 budget review: “Sometimes as councillors we have to admit we got it wrong.”

But his move was narrowly defeated, with the council voting to stick with two collections.

Rockingham city council is considering stopping all verge collections while Victoria Park town council might downsize to one bulk and one greenwaste collection every year.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

CHICKEN bones, ibis poo and garrulous crows are irking residents who live beside Nando’s in Mt Lawley.

A local resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, says Nando’s overflowing bins attract up to a dozen crows and four ibis every day.

“I regularly come out of my front door to find chicken bones in my garden and bird droppings on the pavement,” he says.

“My neighbour went to clean his gutters and found a pile of chicken bones in them.

“Funnily enough, since the store has been closed for renovations the problems have stopped.”

The anonymous resident says he’d mentioned the problem— ongoing for nine months—to staff around a month ago but nothing was done. Another resident— a FIFO worker who wishes to remain anonymous—told the Voice she struggles to sleep when home because of the murder of crows squawking on her roof.

The Voice understands chicken bones dropped by the birds have been found in gardens up to five lots from the Beaufort Street store.

Nando’s HQ in Victoria didn’t respond to the Voice’s questions.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

NORTH PERTH primary school kids are on the hunt for olives.

The kids are hoping people in the area will let them pick the fruit from their trees so they can make olive oil to raise money for the P&C. P&C mum Sonia Hills says they’re looking to fund a few projects including a new large climbing frame for the school oval and a nature play area, and they have an ongoing fund to help kids from struggling families cover excursion costs.

She also says it’ll help kids get to know the neighbours.

“We thought it would be a very nice way for the kids to get amongst the neighbourhood.

“It’s [about] community vibrancy and safety as well.”

The big harvest happens May 4 and 5 and then they’ll be processed at York Olives. They’re hoping to make 150 bottles of olive oil and name it “Harvest 6006” after the North Perth post code.

An old Greek, Macedonian and Italian suburb, there’s a lot of olive trees around North Perth from when people used to press their own. If you live in the area and have a tree with spare olives, get in touch with s_hills@iinet.net.au

by DAVID BELL

THE proponents behind a plan to install 12 units on a single block at 99 Palmerston Street have dropped their fight at the state administrative tribunal.

Last July Vincent city council rejected architect Kim Bevilaqua’s plan for the three-storey complex partly because of “negative impact on the adjoining properties”.

One nearby neighbour said, “we think that 12 units on one block is ridiculous”.

The applicants appealed to the powerful but unelected SAT hopeful it would override the rejection, but this week mayor Alannah MacTiernan announced the appeal had been dropped.

“They no longer wish to pursue the matter in front of the SAT,” she told councillors.

“I understand the property has been sold and I predict the process will start all over again.”

Mr Bevilaqua described the mediation process as frustrating.

“It’s caused a lot of pain for my clients and cost them a lot of money.”

He says the council had been largely satisfied with revised planning aspects and dimensions and a few aesthetic issues were the only remaining sticking points. “There’s no planning issues left, it all comes down to aesthetic and taste,” he says. “They essentially killed it, killed it for my clients, that’s for sure.” The single house that had been on the site has been demolished.by DAVID BELL

THERE has been mixed reaction to the eight-month gaol sentence handed to two youths convicted of burning down Mt Lawley primary school last year.

The teenagers, who were 15 and 16 at the time, will be eligible for community-based supervision after serving four months.

Juvenile offenders are housed at the Hakea adult prison after a riot damaged the Banksia Hill juvenile detention centre.

Children’s court president Judge Denis Reynolds says the duo—who admitted to being stoned and drunk when lighting plastic chairs—left the fire burning and were therefore criminally responsible for the $9 million destruction of the 100-year-old school.

Mt Lawley Liberal MP Michael Sutherland says gaol time is appropriate. Most locals he knows think they’re getting off lightly.

“There are mixed views on the sentences handed down to the arsonists,” he says.

“On the whole the view is that the prison term is seen as too short considering the huge damage caused, compounded by the fact that the perpetrators had been drinking and smoking dope, it also seems like an accelerant was used to get the fire going.”

Primary school P&C president Mel Smithin says a community-based sentence would have been more beneficial.

“Most people I talk to in the school community feel that a community-based sentence would have been better,” she says.

“It would have given them a chance to give something back to the community that they took away from.

“People I talk to are surprised by the judge’s decision.”

Stirling mayor David Boothman says young people tend to get away with lighter sentences.

“In general I do believe there are far too many instances were people are given light sentences or let off due to their age or circumstances (intoxication, drug taking, harsh upbringing, etc.) I believe you do the crime—you should be prepared to accept the consequences regardless,” he says.

“The local community are the big losers in this instance, and I feel strongly that substantial requirement should be placed on offenders to address this aspect.

“Substantial community service should be a standard requisite in any sentencing for offences of this nature.”

Lawley ward councillor Rod Willox regards the sentence as “reasonable under the circumstances”.

A $12.5 million rebuild is scheduled to start in October with the school reopening for the 2015 term.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

Carey moves

ELECTRONIC billboards will publicly shame convicted kerb-crawlers if Vincent councillor John Carey has his way.

He wants the council to investigate the boards’ use in the city.

His move follows mayor Alannah MacTiernan’s announcing she wants to name and shame men prosecuted for soliciting prostitutes in Highgate (Voice, April 6, 2013).  

Despite WA Police issuing 156 move-on notices since January and undertaking a street-blitz in November, prostitution remains rife along Stirling Street.

“I will speak to the Vincent CEO and mayor about investigating a number of measures, one of which could be the use of electronic billboards,” Cr Carey says.

“However, we need to investigate all the details and legalities of any such measure.

“I know the electronic billboards have been used in this manner in other countries.”

In 2009 Minneapolis used digital billboards to publicise photos of men caught buying sex on the street.

Commuters on Interstate 35 were shown a blurred mug shot and encouraged to visit a website to discover offenders’ names and convictions.

The website shows pictures and names of men convicted of soliciting prostitutes over the past 12 months.

The Voice asked WA Police if they had any ethical or safety concerns over public naming and shaming of convicted kerb-crawlers, but was stonewalled.

“WA police is working with Vincent city council and other agencies to address these types of offences,” police media advisor Susan Usher said.

“Part of these discussions involve the use of different strategies to tackle these issues.”

by STEPHEN POLLOCK