Bunbury Herald: Changes to Development Requirements

Win for developers as Bunbury council pass five-year pause on public open space requirements

Developers building infill proposals of more than five units in urban areas will no longer be required to dedicate 10 per cent to public open space following a council decision which split the sitting members.

The passed motion read the council supports a five-year moratorium on a condition requiring public open space contributions on built strata proposals and a moratorium on seeking a condition requiring public open space contributions on survey strata subdivisions in infill areas.

The proposal was supported by developers Ross Underwood from Planning Solutions and Luis Schilling from Hillam Architects.

The pair have been working on a 54-apartment development for East Bunbury through Citygate Properties which has received approval.

Mr Underwood said the public open space rule should be scrapped to allow developments to move ahead with confidence.

“Having received an approval for a development, it doesn’t necessarily mean that development will proceed, it needs to be a financial business case that works out in the positive before any investor or developer makes a decision to proceed,” he said.

“We’re at the point currently where until this matter on the POS contributions is resolved, we don’t yet have that decision, that ability to make the call on whether or not to proceed with this development.”

The motion was ultimately passed despite the executive recommendation to reject the idea due to it being at odds with existing State planning framework.

Only councillors Parthasarathy Ramesh, Karen Steele and Tresslyn Smith voted to reject the bid with both councillors Michelle Steck and Marina Quain out of the room due to a declared financial interest.

Cr Steele said five years was too long of a time, and if the motion was to go ahead, Bunbury could go down the same road as other areas abroad.

“We have to look at what’s happening in the UK, for example, they’re pulling down most of their spaces where they have no public open space, it’s detrimental to their health, it’s detrimental to their wellbeing and this is what we have to look at for the future,” she said.

Other councillors later argued five years was a necessary length due to the lengthy time period building proposals go through.

Cr Ben Andrew said the proposal was an opportunity for the council to improve the City’s housing stock.

“One of the biggest issues the City of Bunbury has is the lack of development, the lack of increase in housing stock, our housing stock is just crawling forward,” he said.

“As a council we can’t do a terrible lot about it, but this is one of those opportunities where we get to have a good news story for the community and say ‘we hear, we want to do something about the homeless issue, we want to do something about creating more housing stock’ and this is one of those levers that as a council we can pull.”

After the executive recommendation was shot down, Cr Gabi Ghasseb brought forward a pro forma motion to support the moratorium.

This was passed eight to one with only Cr Smith maintaining her opposition.