Bedford: Landowners ‘disappointed’ with Bayswater Council deferral of proposed scheme amendment

BAYSWATER Council has deferred its decision on a proposed scheme amendment for residential dwellings to be developed at Bedford Fair Shopping Centre, pending the formation of a local planning strategy.

Owners of Lot 11, 215-217 Grand Promenade proposed an amendment to Local Planning Scheme No.24, in a bid to rezone the rear portion of the site from a car park to business and include additional uses of multiple and group dwellings.

At the June 12 committee meeting, the council voted 7-2 to defer its decision because the proposed scheme amendment could be considered as part of the Local Planning Strategy process.

The council believed any development could be inconsistent with the intent of the site as identified during the process.

CF Town Planning and Development director Carlo Famiano, who addressed council, said landowners were “disappointed” with the council’s position to defer the proposed scheme amendment.

“It is an existing commercial activity centre and it is located on an identified urban corridor, given its access to public transport and its link between Morley Galleria and the Edith Cowan University in Mt Lawley,” he said.

“The site itself is aged, the businesses that are operating there at the moment, whilst they are successful the premises that they’re in are well and truly outdated and are no longer good enough to run those businesses and they need an upgrade.

“We understand that the City is doing a local planning strategy but we believe that the position the City has taken in relation to this amendment will undermine the local planning strategy – we find it unrealistic.”

Councillor Sally Palmer, whose motion to initiate the amendment was lost, said residential starting at a zoning of R30 would be “excellent” for the centre.

Mayor Dan Bull said more work needed to be done in the area before any zoning changes were made under the proposed strategy.