MP Michelle Roberts’ help sought on Bellevue rezoning

Member for Midland Michelle Roberts said she was concerned that the land at Lot 1 Clayton Road near the Catherine Street corner was earmarked to be rezoned as an industrial lot despite it being close to other houses.

The WA Planning Commission will consider the application to rezone the land at Lot 1 Clayton Road near the corner of Katherine Street on a .65ha site.

Submissions on the rezoning had to be in by last Friday.

Residents at the Bellevue Ratepayers and Residents group said they were concerned the rezoning would impact on the Bellevue East Land Use Study (BELUS) – which has received strong community support.

Ms Roberts said the proposed amendment could destroy the plans already in process for the Bellevue East locality.

“The planning is ad hoc and seems to be planning without any adequate research,” she said.

Bellevue Ratepayers and Residents association chairman Mark Richards said he was concerned that the zoning would be processed and approved.

“With the BELUS plan we were trying to keep the area more or less industrial and the industry to the other side of the railway and the Roe Highway so people are concerned and once you let more industry in where does it stop?

“You don’t have a say as to what type of industry moves in and residents felt it was better to keep the area residential due to that problem.”

Mr Richards said he hoped the WA Planning Commission would come to their senses and deny the rezoning for the residential area.

“It goes against everything we have worked for as an organisation since the group came into being,” he said.

The proposed amendment cannot implement the “buffer zone” required for industrial zoning near residential areas. Mr Richards said the residents were concerned the Bellevue East area already had existing problems with industry located close to residential housing and the proposal compounded the problem.

He said they other problem was that they had not been told about the amendment by the Department of Planning.

At a City of Swan meeting on June 15 council voted to advise the Western Australian Planning Commission that the Council does not support Proposal 1 of the MRS Industrial Zoning Anomalies amendment (1309/57).

The City of Swan motion said “the proposal is fundamentally contrary to the objectives of the Bellevue East Land Use Study and may prejudice the future development of the adjoining Lot 2 for residential development”.

Mr Richards said he welcomed the council’s input. The group has also written to the Minister for Planning to try to prevent the rezoning from being approved.