Seven not so magnificent for Stirling residents

The City of Stirling lodged the amendment to local planning scheme 3 last year.

It aims to prevent multiple dwellings from being approved on land zoned R60 and below.

The seven multiple dwellings were initially rejected by the City of Stirling before the applicant sought a review at the State Administrative Tribunal.

Westview Street resident Rod Mathers said he was concerned the development would be approved while Mr Day was still considering the amendment.

‘We’ve got a residential area here which is nowhere near a transport hub and yet they are proposing seven units on a 693sq m block ” it’s ludicrous,’ Mr Mathers said.

‘We found out that the council had lodged an opposition to this random infill by lodging amendment 32.’

City of Stirling planning and development director Ross Povey said the development would be assessed by the current planning scheme even if the council had resolved to amend it.

‘The council was very clear in communicating to the community that any application that we’re currently dealing with, until that amendment has reached the point where it’s actually going to be certain, council has to deal with development applications against the current planning scheme,’ Mr Povey said.

‘It’s permitted under our scheme and if they comply with all the R-code requirements, there’s no digression, just a big tick and off you go.’

World Class Homes developer Tien Bui, responsible for the Westview project, said Amendment 32 contradicted the State’s policy of minimising urban sprawl and argued the seven 58sq m apartments would improve the area.

‘Multiple dwellings bring growth to the Scarborough and increases the amount of ratepayers to the City, which in turn provide better services and infrastructure to the areas located in City of Stirling,’ Mr Bui said.

‘We believe we have addressed all residents’ concerns; however it seems that the underlying factor is the number of dwellings and this complies.’

Mr Bui said multiple dwellings were essential for Perth’s growing population and said it would bring growth to Scarborough.

City of Stirling Mayor Giovanni Italiano said he did not believe the City could sustain the projected growth if R40 and R50 multiple dwellings continued to be approved across the City.

‘All of a sudden you have an unintended consequence of amenity and social issues in the burbs clashing head-on and tensions rising among the neighbours. It’s a logistical and planning nightmare,’ he said.