❓ A parliamentary question scrutinizes the Minister for Planning's handling of Amendment 18 regarding an aged care facility in Wattle Grove, questioning conditions imposed and the consideration of alternative sites. The Minister's response defends the process and highlights the need for strategic planning.
AnsweredQoN 4706Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
(1) Can the Minister advise whether a senior officer of the Department of Planning emailed planning consultant Greg Rowe’s office on 25 June 2009 stating that the existence of other possible aged care sites in the Shire of Kalamunda would have no bearing on the assessment of Amendment 18 on Gavour Road, Wattle Grove?
(2) Did the same senior officer send a briefing note to the Minister for Planning on 6 October 2009 stating that the Council should identify six alternative sites for aged persons development and rank them?
(3) Why have the following unprecedented conditions been placed on Amendment 18 -
(a) identify six alternative sites and rank them in priority; and
(b) comprehensive planning for the wider locality?
(4) What is the estimated value of the total development?
(5) Following the advertising of Amendment 18, what percentage of the submissions reflected support for the proposal?
(6) How many submissions were received in total?
(7) Has the Minister received overwhelming evidence, inclusive of letters from local medical practitioners and Aged and Retirement Associations, that the community, shire officers and the Kalamunda Shire Council support this proposal?
(8) What groups have lobbied against the proposal?
(9) Now that the Local Planning Strategy has been advertised identifying urban development for Wattle Grove, what is the timeframe for the Minister to approve Amendment 18?
(2) Did the same senior officer send a briefing note to the Minister for Planning on 6 October 2009 stating that the Council should identify six alternative sites for aged persons development and rank them?
(3) Why have the following unprecedented conditions been placed on Amendment 18 -
(a) identify six alternative sites and rank them in priority; and
(b) comprehensive planning for the wider locality?
(4) What is the estimated value of the total development?
(5) Following the advertising of Amendment 18, what percentage of the submissions reflected support for the proposal?
(6) How many submissions were received in total?
(7) Has the Minister received overwhelming evidence, inclusive of letters from local medical practitioners and Aged and Retirement Associations, that the community, shire officers and the Kalamunda Shire Council support this proposal?
(8) What groups have lobbied against the proposal?
(9) Now that the Local Planning Strategy has been advertised identifying urban development for Wattle Grove, what is the timeframe for the Minister to approve Amendment 18?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
1 November 2011
Responded by
Minister for Mental Health representing the Minister for Planning
Response time
40 days
(1) Yes. The officer advised the consultants acting on behalf of the local action group and separate individuals opposing the proposal, that the amendment would be considered on its own merits and that the existence of other potentially more suitable sites could not be used as a reason for refusing the proposal.
(2) The Minister, in making his decision on the request for consent to advertise, did advise Council that through the review of its Local Planning Strategy it should investigate alternative sites for aged persons development and clearly rank the sites which are best suited for such development. The request was made to allow a better understanding of the relative suitability of the subject site, having regard to broader strategic planning issues. It should be noted that this request was made in relation to the content of the Shire's proposed Draft Local Planning Strategy to ensure that the Strategy would address the issue of future provision of aged/dependant persons dwellings in the Shire.
(3a) It is open to the Minister to request the provision of any information that he may consider necessary to ensure that he is fully informed of the issues relevant to an amendment proposal.
(3b) The proposed amendment seeks to facilitate the development of a significant urban use in an area currently zoned Rural under both the Metropolitan Region Scheme and the local planning scheme. It would be remiss of the Minister not to inquire as to the future plans for the locality in making a decision that will have irreversible and substantial effects on the surrounding area.
(4) The Minister is not aware of the value of proposed development on the site. The proposed amendment relates to a change of zoning and not to any formal development plan for the site.
(5) The Minister has been advised that the Shire of Kalamunda has reported that 82% of public submissions support the proposal.
(6) In total 2064 submissions were received on the scheme amendment.
(7) The Minister is aware that there is support for the proposal from some of the community and the Council. The Minister is also aware of objections to the proposed location of the subject facility.
(8) The Minister has received correspondence from the Wattle Grove Action Group and individual nearby landowners (and their consultant representatives), who do not support the proposal.
(9) The Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC) has not yet received the Council's Draft Local Planning Strategy for final endorsement. However, the Minister has been advised that the Council was granted permission to indicate the subject locality as an Urban Investigation Area for the purposes of advertising the Strategy. It will now be up to the WAPC to assess the strategy and the justifications contained within to determine if the locality is suitable for urban development in the short to medium term. The fact that Council have indicated a desired landuse in the Strategy does not in itself provide reasonable justification for such a landuse to be supported. It needs to be assessed in the light of the full suite of WAPC policies, evidence of the availability of infrastructure for the locality, all the submissions made during the formal advertising period and the planning rationale contained within the Strategy. Following WAPC assessment of the Strategy the Minister will reconsider Amendment 18.
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(2) The Minister, in making his decision on the request for consent to advertise, did advise Council that through the review of its Local Planning Strategy it should investigate alternative sites for aged persons development and clearly rank the sites which are best suited for such development. The request was made to allow a better understanding of the relative suitability of the subject site, having regard to broader strategic planning issues. It should be noted that this request was made in relation to the content of the Shire's proposed Draft Local Planning Strategy to ensure that the Strategy would address the issue of future provision of aged/dependant persons dwellings in the Shire.
(3a) It is open to the Minister to request the provision of any information that he may consider necessary to ensure that he is fully informed of the issues relevant to an amendment proposal.
(3b) The proposed amendment seeks to facilitate the development of a significant urban use in an area currently zoned Rural under both the Metropolitan Region Scheme and the local planning scheme. It would be remiss of the Minister not to inquire as to the future plans for the locality in making a decision that will have irreversible and substantial effects on the surrounding area.
(4) The Minister is not aware of the value of proposed development on the site. The proposed amendment relates to a change of zoning and not to any formal development plan for the site.
(5) The Minister has been advised that the Shire of Kalamunda has reported that 82% of public submissions support the proposal.
(6) In total 2064 submissions were received on the scheme amendment.
(7) The Minister is aware that there is support for the proposal from some of the community and the Council. The Minister is also aware of objections to the proposed location of the subject facility.
(8) The Minister has received correspondence from the Wattle Grove Action Group and individual nearby landowners (and their consultant representatives), who do not support the proposal.
(9) The Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC) has not yet received the Council's Draft Local Planning Strategy for final endorsement. However, the Minister has been advised that the Council was granted permission to indicate the subject locality as an Urban Investigation Area for the purposes of advertising the Strategy. It will now be up to the WAPC to assess the strategy and the justifications contained within to determine if the locality is suitable for urban development in the short to medium term. The fact that Council have indicated a desired landuse in the Strategy does not in itself provide reasonable justification for such a landuse to be supported. It needs to be assessed in the light of the full suite of WAPC policies, evidence of the availability of infrastructure for the locality, all the submissions made during the formal advertising period and the planning rationale contained within the Strategy. Following WAPC assessment of the Strategy the Minister will reconsider Amendment 18.
Notice: This document is created or edited using unregistered or evaluation copy of rtLib valid for testing or development purposes only. To use it for productive or any other purposes please register it. You may purchase the license on
http://www.rtlib.com
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