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Debate over density

Staff ReporterWanneroo Times

THE City of Joondalup will advertise a proposal to rezone land in Kinross formerly earmarked for a primary school.

The four-hectare site at 3 Lochnagar Way, near MacNaughton Park, was set aside in the 1990s for the school but the Education Department no longer has a need for it because of insufficient demand.

Landowner Peet Limited wants to subdivide and develop the site for housing.

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The land would be rezoned to urban development in the City’s district planning scheme and the R20 density coding removed.

If approved, the applicant would have to submit a structure plan, which would also be subject to community consultation.

The plan would determine future density codings, the need for 10 per cent public open space and the portion of MacNaughton Park sports oval that falls within the site.

Though the portion of the oval takes up more than 10 per cent of the site, the City advised the applicant it expected it to be incorporated into public open space to maintain its sports use.

Cr Kerry Hollywood said Kinross Residents Association had asked if the City could request no increase in the density because of traffic problems.

Planning and community development director Dale Page said any structure plan would need to show the proposal would not have a negative effect on the roads and traffic volume.

She said the City’s local housing strategy recommended such sites have a higher density than the standard R20.

‘I don’t envisage from discussions with the applicant that they’ll be pushing the density even to a medium density code,’ she told a recent council meeting.

‘I think they’ll include some diversity in the lot sizes and you’re probably looking at an average of around R25.’

Cr Hollywood also asked if the City could require the land to be developed ‘within three years so Kinross is not left in a mess for many, many years’.

Ms Page said she did not think the City could do that.