Julie Matheson
Former Subiaco Councillor | Certified Financial Planner | Western Australia Party Convenor
Western Suburbs infill – an election issue
Density gone wrong in the Western Suburbs
“Western Australia’s planning system is broken,” says Senate candidate for the WESTERN AUSTRALIA PARTY, Bruce Thompson.
As a Subiaco resident for 40 years, Architect and former registered planner, Bruce says:
“residential targets and density carpet bombing needs to be addressed before the public can have any confidence in the planning system again!”.
“I’ve never seen such pressure to respond to dart board residential targets and a culture which so strongly favours developers and train economics above all other issues.”
“The targets vary depending on the political breeze, are not transparent and unsubstantiated,” he says. “The main driver is unreasonable especially in a climate of the State’s low growth. To have local authorities racing around to base a new Local Planning Scheme on out of date population figures is a recipe for a very poor outcome. It’s a rush job for no reason.”
METRONET is supposed to be the long-term blueprint to connect our suburbs, reduce road congestion and meet Perth’s future planning needs. But, while the Government tries to maximize value for its infrastructure, does it mean oceans of car parks and unaffordable flats nearby to stations for the inner city?
Is METRONET a term for massive infrastructure spending to outer suburbs to catch up with Perth’s sprawling pancake?
With no public analysis of the potential of the infrastructure itself, such as capping the station precincts and rail reserves, using the government’s land reserves and Brownfield sites, should be top of the list of options for the right locations for density. There are also missed opportunities, such as the definition of town centres for Subiaco, Nedlands and Claremont, and loss of trees and green space in the western suburbs overall.
This lack of balance cuts across the elements that make a place a healthy, liveable community. We need a return to genuine public consultation instead of faceless websites!
The WESTERN AUSTRALIA PARTY doesn’t support blanket infill and will independently give the community a voice and call these issues to account.
Written by Bruce Thompson
Senate candidate
WESTERN AUSTRALIA PARTY
“making policies in the best interests of WA.”
Website: https://westernaustraliaparty.org.au | Phone: 0404 053 864
