Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I take this opportunity to raise an issue concerning a planning matter that greatly affects several hundred of my constituents in the electorate of Cowan. Landsdale is a suburb in Cowan. It is a very good area where families are doing well. Parents are working hard and providing a great future for their children. It is an authentic and aspirational part of Australia which, particularly over the last 10 years, has become a highly sought after suburb. It is a suburb based around Broadview Park and Warradale Park, each with its own small lake. As with all subdivisions, those who were looking to buy lots and build their own great Australian dream had choices to make as to where they would buy their lot. They had choices of lots with various views or of lots that were perhaps close to the schools in the area or near to the shops. They could also pay a little less for the higher volume streets or pay a little more for the quieter, dead-end streets. Such streets that appeared on the maps of the developers included Hamel Close, Kevo Place, Grayswood Court, Rosebud Court and Mossfiel Retreat. I make the point that the descriptors of these streets all directly implied dead-end streets. ‘Close,’ ‘place,’ ‘court’ and ‘retreat’ are all clearly terminating streets and not-through streets. So it was the case when many of my constituents were buying their lots or later buying existing houses in those particular streets that they were drawn to a quieter lifestyle and were prepared to meet the premium cost attached. They have told me that the developers told them that these streets, Hamel Close, Kevo Place, Grayswood Court, Rosebud Court and Mossfiel Retreat, would remain closed and that belief was reinforced by the descriptors.

Naturally these same people were upset when, in 2008, the City of Wanneroo advertised on large signs in the area a local structure plan that detailed that their streets would be open to the new development of East Landsdale. On 6 August 2008, within a day or so of the signs being put up, I had a conversation with a local resident, and on 7 August I distributed a flyer alerting locals to the proposal to open their streets up to through traffic and informing them of the submission I would be making to the City of Wanneroo about it. On 22 August 2008 I sent my submission to the City of Wanneroo supporting the local residents, and on 26 August my petition, with 115 names, went to the City of Wanneroo opposing the local structure plan. It was only on 11 November and again on 18 November 2008 that the City of Wanneroo discussed this serious situation in council. I am a little surprised that it was only after my flyer that the city realised that what they had advertised was a major issue for local people. Nevertheless, the city eventually fully opposed the opening of these streets, and I am very happy about that.

Unfortunately, what has now transpired is that the WA Planning Commission have rejected the City of Wanneroo’s modifications to the structure plan that would have seen these streets closed for good. The commission have not sought to engage with locals, they have not sought to explain their decisions to locals, and their actions amount to nothing short of arbitrary judgment. Clearly there needs to be a willingness for the commission to be prepared to stand by their decisions and appear before the local people at a public meeting. I therefore call upon the Planning Commission to arrange a date for a public meeting and explain why they have made a decision that ignores the views of residents whose property values and lifestyles will suffer as a result of this decision.