ERIC Singleton Bird Sanctuary in Bayswater is set to be protected from urban development, after the Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC) recommended to rezone the area from urban to parks and recreation.
The Metropolitan Region Scheme amendment, which proposes the rezoning of 26.65 ha of land including the sanctuary and Gobba Lake, is currently up for public comment until August 31.
According to the amended WAPC report, the amendment would facilitate the protection of wetlands and land with identified areas of environmental significance.
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READ NOWPlanning Minister Rita Saffioti will make the final call on the amendment after the public comment period.
This follows the City of Bayswater’s $3.5 million purchase of the Carter’s wetlands, with contributed funds from the State Government in October 2017.
The wetlands, located next to the Eric Singleton Bird Sanctuary, was under threat from a neighbouring development that would potentially have seen cul-de-sacs and associated filling intruding into part of the site.
Maylands MLA Lisa Baker, who had pushed for the protection of the site for years, encouraged the community to comment.
“It takes it away from the activities that are zoned as urban use – things like residential, commercial and light industry,” she said.
“The community was so strongly behind the purchase of the Carter’s land to make sure it was safe and secure.
“This will just make the whole area a huge environmental centre for not just Maylands but really for the Swan River system.”
No Houses in Wetlands spokeswoman Deborah Bowie said the group welcomed the consultation and the proposed amendment would strengthen its position for litter to be managed at the Iterno Bayswater development site which was next to the sanctuary.
For more information, visit https://www.planning.wa.gov.au/