On the 26th of August 2013 the Kalamunda council held a special council meeting to yet again initiate the rezoning of 32 Gavour road, Wattle Grove from special rural to dense urban (to read the minutes of this meeting, click here).

Only 10 months ago the Minister for Planning John Day rejected the rezoning application.

An advertisement about the meeting was placed in the Hills Gazette paper (a paper not delivered to Wattle Grove residents) by the Shire of Kalamunda on the 24th of August, giving residents very little notice about this meeting.

This rezoning proposal has been put forward 4 times in a 9 year period. It has been rejected 3 times based on planning grounds, mainly due to the fact that the area is not appropriate for such a facility. Nothing has changed with the latest proposal.

But it was no surprise that the current council voted unanimously to initiate the rezoning at the special council meeting.

This decision goes against common sense, proper planning legislation, the needs of the elderly and the Ministers decision to reject the proposal made less than 10 months ago.

The land still cannot be connected to reticulated sewerage and the minister when rejecting the proposal was aware that on-site sewerage disposal was an option. The endorsed local planning strategy does not designate Wattle Grove as urban, either now or in the future.

The proposal is still inconsistent with many of the recommendations contained within the Shire’s Aged Accommodation Strategy (2008). This document recommends aged persons accommodation be located around the town centres or shopping areas. The Wattle Grove site does not satisfy this recommendation.

There are known environmental risks associated with on-site treatment and disposal of sewerage. A substantial discharge of waste water into the local environment which is connected to the Swan/Canning system via Crystal Brook poses a serious risk that the current council is willing to take.

For the Kalamunda council to unanimously pass a motion to initiate the rezoning of this land raises the question – who is this council really serving? Or has this become a personal battle between them and Wattle Grove residents?

They can’t be serving the elderly because the site is not appropriate being far away from essential services. I am also aware that there are a number of other sites being considered.

We’ll keep you posted on what happens next in relation to this rezoning application.

Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: 32 Gavour road Wattle Grove, Amendment 18, Amendment 57, Shire of Kalamunda | Leave a comment »