THE City of Cockburn wants to further investigate retaining parts of Jandakot and Treeby as designated rural areas, as part of a long-term vision for greater Perth.
It’s a change of position for the council, which two years ago as part of a submission to the State Government’s Perth and Peel @3.5Million recommended the area be open to greater urban |development.
Perth and Peel @3.5Million is a major planning blueprint to shape development and planning across the city in the next 40 years.
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READ NOWThe council’s change of mind came after a recent resident survey and a heated public question time at this month’s council meeting confirmed local residents were split over whether the area’s rural past should give way to greater urbanisation.
Banjup Residents Group (BRG) secretary, Ian Thurston, criticised the council for considering the survey responses from 65 Jandakot and Treeby landowners as a pro-forma response, rather than individual submissions.
Mr Thurston and others from the group want the area to be considered for urban investigation under the State Government’s long-term plan.
“The area’s rural amenity has been irretrievably lost, sandwiched as it is between 5000 new houses being built to the south and east, the huge commercial developments of Jandakot City to the north and the four lane highway being built through the middle, ”
Jandakot resident, Erika Wallington, said she moved to her property 17 years ago on Cessna Drive for the lifestyle and does not want to be rezoned.
“Where I live, I have a bush forever site, the Jandakot regional park and the conservation zone of Jandakot airport bordering my property,” Mrs Wallington said.
“We love it, all we see is bush and birds and we are finding it hard to believe all of this is going on.”
The council will ask Planning Minister Rita Saffioti if it can make a new submission to Perth and Peel @3.5Million, even though the time for doing so ended more than two years ago and a draft has already been released.
If it is able to, the council will merely be supporting the State Government’s draft plan, which has excluded Jandakot area from urban investigation.
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