On-going consultation has occurred between the proponent and the Department of Environmental Protection in regard to the environmental and drainage management issues associated with the development. The major delay with the completion of the documentation has been due to a shift in the drainage management philosophy, from a system based on the creation of a series of constructed water bodies, to a “water sensitive urban design” based proposal, incorporating measures to promote infiltration at source and a series of swales and multi-use drainage corridors. Officers of the Department of Environment have indicated that they are generally happy with the overall drainage philosophy, although they are yet to sign-off on the final Environmental Review document.
Discussions have also been held with officers of the Department for Infrastructure and Planning, in regard to the proposed advertising of the Amendment during the advertising process for the new Town Planning Scheme No 17. It has been agreed that the land will be zoned “Residential Deferred”
under the draft TPS 17, so as not to pre-empt the final consideration of the amendment.
The City of Swan-State Government Sustainability MOU Working Group has also been involved in
Item 3.1 (Cont’d 6) REPORT
Statutory Process
The zoning of the land as ‘Urban’ under the MRS means that the land has been determined by the Western Australian Planning Commission to be generally suitable for urban development. Council has a statutory obligation to amend its Town Planning Scheme and has already resolved to do so.
For the purposes of the environmental assessment process, Council is regarded under the legislation as the proponent, and it is therefore necessary for the Council to formally endorse the Environmental Review document for the purposes of referral to the EPA. The applicant (Department of Housing and Works) has provided a written commitment to cover all costs associated with the environmental review process. Following the public advertising period, the EPA will determine any conditions that are to be applied to the Town Planning Scheme amendment to ensure that the proposal does not have an adverse impact on the environment. Council will then be in a position to determine whether it wants to proceed with the Amendment.
Urban Growth Strategy and Regional Context
The development area forms a part of the North-East Corridor and, together with land at Caversham, West Swan and the southern part of Whiteman Park is part of a proposed urban growth area that will accommodate approximately 45,000-50,000 people. Needless to say that the planning of this growth area will have wide-ranging implications for future urban management, from the City’s infrastructure planning, asset management, community and economic development and financial planning perspective and in relation to the quality of facilities, services and the general well-being of the future population.
The City has commenced the preparation of an Urban Growth Strategy to better define the form of urban growth in the area and to provide guidance for the planning of infrastructure and services in the future. The Urban Growth Strategy is intended to provide a broader regional context and more specific guidance for the development of areas such as Albion, to ensure that transport networks, residential densities, commercial centres, housing diversity, infrastructure and services can be planned to maximise the benefits to future residents and to enable the appropriate allocation of resources to deliver integrated urban development.
In the process of preparing the Urban Growth Strategy, it is likely that the plan for Albion will be reviewed and modified to achieve the above aims. In conjunction with assessment of submissions received as a result of the public advertising process, it is intended that on-going review of the plan will be undertaken before any recommendation for final adoption is put to Council.
Environmental and Drainage Management
Environmental and drainage management issues are key issues to be dealt with in the consideration of the proposed development. Surface water management, groundwater levels, water quality and protection of wetlands and remnant vegetation are all major challenges for a successful and environmentally responsible development.
Item 3.1 (Cont’d 7)
It must be emphasised that, whilst the City of Swan has a key strategic and operational interest in the environmental outcomes of the development, it is not the primary statutory body responsible for approval of the proposal on environmental grounds. The Environmental Review document has been prepared by the applicant’s consultants in consultation with officers of the Department of Environment and it is the City’s role to ensure that this document has covered the major issues to be addressed.
The drainage and water management philosophy proposed for the development is outlined in the Environmental Review document and Water Management Plan. Informal advice from the Department of Environment is that the approach is consistent with best practice in drainage management, utilising multi-use corridors, drainage swales and techniques for water infiltration at source, as opposed to the construction of artificial water bodies and transportation of run-off through conventional drainage mechanisms.
Having said that, the proposal does not provide sufficient detail at this time to enable detailed technical or financial analysis of the implications for subdivision and road design or management and maintenance of drainage areas. Such detail is only likely to become available as further planning and design occurs, however it will be recommended that, during the advertising process, the City is provided with further information regarding the design and management of the drainage system, likely management responsibilities, costs and indicative design details so that these implications can be properly assessed prior to any final approval being considered.
The environmental implications of the project will come to light as a result of the EPA’s assessment of the proposal and the EPA will determine any conditions that need to be applied to the development to ensure that it does not have adverse environmental impacts. Council will be required to determine whether those conditions are satisfactory, however the City has limited resources and expertise in the area of environmental management and may need to bring in additional expertise to properly respond to the EPA’s final determination.
Roads and Traffic Management
Key issues in relation to roads and traffic management include:
Responsibility and contributions for construction of Henley Brook Avenue (an “Other Regional Road” reserved under the MRS) – developer contributions would normally be required to provide for the purchase of the land, construction of one carriageway and earthworks for the second carriageway.
These arrangements will need to be formalised through a contributions scheme and amendments to the City’s current policy relating to contributions for regional roads in the North-East Corridor.
Timing of road construction - in order to avoid adverse impacts on the local road network, in particular the roads linking to West Swan Road, consideration will need to be given to the early construction of Henley Brook Avenue to provide the north-south link between Reid Highway and Gnangara Road.
Access to Perth Darwin National Highway (Lord Street) – as a limited access road, further
Item 3.1 (Cont’d 8)
Urban Form and DensityAs a part of the Urban Growth Strategy, the City will be investigating the implications of new subdivision design in relation to the creation of sustainable populations to support infrastructure and services in local communities. The ‘Network City’ document, released by the State Government proposes a shift in the focus of urban development from the fringe to a greater proportion of infill development. The State government’s objective is also to increase the density and efficiency of residential land use on the urban fringe.
One of the underlying features of traditional suburban development is its low density and the issue of the relative cost of providing land, infrastructure and services to communities that are established in a low-density environment. Changes in demographics, family structure and lifestyle are creating a greater demand for smaller lots and there are financial and environmental reasons to support increased housing density throughout our suburbs, not just in in-fill or urban redevelopment projects.
The housing market, however, tends to supply traditional dwelling types on traditionally large lots, resulting in a lack of flexibility for housing stock to be modified to meet changing household needs and lifecycles. Furthermore, the form of urban development has an impact on commercial viability of centres (i.e. not enough customers within walking distance), accessibility (inefficiency of providing public transport) and community safety/security (insufficient passive surveillance of streets, lack of public activity in public spaces and streets).
The City intends to review the Albion structure plan to identify opportunities to influence the urban form and density of the development so that:
• Sufficient population levels are achieved in the right locations to support commercial and community services and public transport;
• Flexibility is provided in the design and type of housing to cater for a diversity of household types;
• Land is utilised to its optimum efficiency to reduce the need for continued outward growth of the urban areas of the City.
Public Open Space
Public Open Space in the proposed development is primarily made up of corridors defined by the gas pipeline and multi-use (passive recreation and drainage) networks linking key environmental features and neighbourhoods.
Formal open space for active and structured recreation is proposed in key locations adjacent to schools and the total open space provision for the development is in the order of 18 per cent of the land area. While this is in excess of the prescribed 10 per cent open space requirement, much of the open space proposed forms part of the gas pipeline reserve and the proposed multiple use corridors.
The Structure plan acknowledges that the boundaries, shape and precise area of the open spaces in the development will be reviewed and rationalised as planning proceeds.
Item 3.1 (Cont’d 9)
In addition, the question of credits for open space that serves a drainage purpose will need to be resolved, as well as the detailed management and maintenance requirements and responsibilities for multiple use open space areas. Management responsibility for the conservation area on the former Caversham Air Base is not clear, however, City staff recommend that this should be the responsibility of CALM.
Public Transport
Although there is provision in the Structure Plan for bus routes, the question of longer-term public transport provision in the form of the Public Transit reserve on Lord Street is yet to be determined.
In the event that some form of rapid transit system were to be implemented in the North-East Corridor in the future, the accessibility of the adjoining development, provision for more intensive urban development around transit nodes and the integration of road and public transport systems needs to be addressed.
At this stage, it is impossible to predict when, or whether some form of rail transit system could be achieved, however, it is intended that the planning for the development should provide the flexibility for such a system to be introduced in the future.
Community Facilities and Services
Overall planning for community facilities and services will need to be progressed along with the further development of the Structure Plan and subsequent Development Plans. Again, this is intended to occur in conjunction with the development of the Urban Growth Strategy, so that regional needs can be properly identified, followed by determining the location, type and scale of community facilities required to service the area.
Financial modelling will be required to assess the financial implications of delivering community infrastructure and the levels of service required by community assets. These investigations are proposed to be carried out during the course of the public advertising and reported to Council when the matter comes back for final consideration.
Landowner Coordination and Staging
The land subject to this proposal is in the ownership of several landowners, including the Department of Housing and Works, Investa Property Group and the City of Bayswater. Other parcels are privately owned. It is imperative that the development of the land is coordinated and staged in such a way that the provision of infrastructure is able to be coordinated and delivered to support the staged growth of the area over a prolonged development period.
Arrangements for financial contributions by landowners towards infrastructure development costs will need to be put in place by the applicant and further details of the staging of the development will be required to ensure that the growth can be properly and efficiently serviced in a cost-effective manner.
It is expected that a mechanism for developer contributions beyond the voluntary Ellenbrook/Vale model may be required, but this will be dependant on the City’s statutory powers to require such
Item 3.1 (Cont’d 10)
Council may need to consider imposing requirements for certain staging arrangements to ensure that key issues of traffic and drainage management are managed in the early stages of development, and to provide a logical and efficient provision of services to the development.