New North Perth development irks Menora resident

Menora resident Whitney, who asked for her surname to be withheld, said the development would erode her privacy and devalue her house.

“People have to be able to appreciate our house – we are not allowed to have a solid wall at the front,” Whitney said.

The row of Menora houses on Walcott Street, many of which were built in the 1930s, is facing a recently approved four-storey mixed-use development just metres in front of them.

A Metro West Joint Development Assessment Panel approved the development application for the building in June this year.

The City of Stirling has a heritage protection policy in place for the Menora area that restricts development and prohibits solid fences to allow better integration of the houses with the street-scape.

But the building in North Perth is in the City of Vincent’s local government area and in an area earmarked by the City for higher density development.

“Vincent has gone ballistic with development,” Whitney said.

“We are on the boundary of two very different densities.”

She said no pre-dilapidation report was undertaken on the houses in Menora before work at the development started and she said pile driving at the site had caused her house to shake.

She said the City should provide trees for the front of the affected houses to alleviate some of the privacy issues.

Stirling planning and development director Ross Povey said Stirling’s officers met with Vincent staff after Whitney raised the issue.

“Effectively there is not a lot the City can do and we understand the pole-driving is now complete,” Mr Povey said.

“We have advised City of Vincent of our resident’s concern and that a condition of approval for a development includes a pre-dilapidation report and that this should occur for any such developments in the future.”

Vincent chief executive Len Kosova said Vincent did take into account the impact of developments on streetscape and neighbouring properties, even if the streetscape or neighbouring properties were in an adjoining local government area.

“It is not unusual for roads to define the edge of a town centre; this can sometimes result in distinctly different streetscapes from one side of the road to the other, even where the entire area falls within the same local government area,” Mr Kosova said.