Medical consultants capped amid parking concerns

RESIDENTS’ concerns about potential parking issues led to Wanneroo Council refusing to allow extra consultants at a medical centre.

A Banksia Grove resident raised concerns about parking in relation to an application to increase the number of consultants at the Boomerang Loop development at the August 20 briefing session.

The council has originally approved the double-storey development in March 2018, with a condition restricting the number of consultants to eight on site at one time.

Germano Designs applied earlier this year to change that condition to permit 12 consultants, then reduced the request to 10 after objections relating to the parking shortfall were received during public consultation.

Community News understands the change would accommodate a dental practice in one of the five upstairs tenancies, with floor plans indicating it would have five dental surgery rooms.

The applicant proposed to build five extra on-street parking bays rather than the 10 required for two extra consultants and said peak periods for the adjacent child care centre would differ to the medical centre, so patients could use the existing 74 onsite parking bays.

Resident Adam Markham said the proposed on-street bays were in “unsafe locations” and the extra demand for parking would have negative impacts on nearby residents.

After the staff recommendation to approve the change lapsed for want of a mover at the August 27 council meeting, Mayor Tracey Roberts successfully moved an alternative to refuse the application.

Her reasons included that the proposal did not provide enough on-site parking bays and the shortfall would have affected on-street parking for visitors in the adjacent residential area.

Mrs Roberts said not having enough on-site parking bays upset and frustrated residents in other areas.

“On-street bays were provided to meet residential visitor needs,” she said.

Councillor Frank Cvitan said the small residential blocks meant visitors had to use street parking bays, and said the council should make sure development applications met parking requirements.

Cr Dot Newton raises concerns that a need for extra consultants had not yet been demonstrated at the centre, which was still being built.

Construction is nearing completion at the development overlooking Grandis Boulevard, which will include a Little Peoples Place child care centre that was permitted to have up to 74 children and 14 staff.