A MOTION unanimously passed at the most recent City of Swan annual electors’ meeting called for an independent review of the city’s planning department.

Swan resident and former parliamentarian Gavan Troy successfully moved a motion calling on the city to acknowledge concerns about the planning staff’s interpretation and response on planning issues.

“We therefore request that a detailed review be undertaken by an independent agency to the city’s planning department,” he said.

“Such a review shall be an all-encompassing review that considers town planning considerations undertaken through the City of Swan over the past six years with particular reference to matters concerning The Vines locality.”

Mr Troy, a resident of the Vines, said he had seen planning laws and approvals be misused in the case of The Vines where pressures were mounting to develop the golf-course into lots for housing.

“This was not its intended purpose which it gained approval for,” he said.

“Long ago, when state government invested public money into the land to develop a world-class facility for golf, it was to be a huge tourism draw and was funded with public money.”

In an interview with Echo News, Mr Troy said former City of Swan, then Shire of Swan, director of planning Eric Lumsden was one of the finest planners he had ever met and a planner with a broadbased background was sorely needed to provide a holistic approach to planning.

“Since Eric passed, there’s been bias towards planners from development backgrounds,” he said.

“There’s an imbalance where too many planners from infill development backgrounds are getting into decision-making positions and unnecessary sacrifices of our amenity are being made to fuel short-term housing targets.

“The problem is Swan isn’t looking at their own policies.

“If they had broadbased planners, you wouldn’t have this problem.”

Mr Troy said he had been trying to contact Minister John Carey’s office for a discussion on development matters but was stonewalled.

The Minister for Planning’s office has been contacted for comment.

Mr Troy said he didn’t understand why earlier council reports and decisions to not support the development of the Vines were not respected by council staff.

“This inquiry should consider in detail how the advancement of the community interest in town planning process within council’s control can be enhanced, but also where appropriate provide comment and advice on the current planning framework being applied by the state agencies and the interrelationship between council and those state agencies under that framework,” he said.

Vines Residents and Ratepayers Association (VRRA) vice chair Dixon Lowe also spoke at the meeting in support of the motion.

“Our support for the motion is based on our deep concern with the planning officer’s report for amendment 9 to ODP37,” he said.

“The community has two reasonable expectations of its local government.

“First, a full and independent planning assessment, and second, an accurate acknowledgement of stakeholder contributions.

“Unfortunately, the planning officer’s report did not meet either of these expectations.

Mr Lowe said decision makers were therefore being asked to approve a major structural change without the information required to understand its consequences.

“Secondly, the treatment of stakeholder submissions was unacceptable,” he said.

“The VRRA submission, a detailed evidence-based document, was withheld from councillors until the day of their meeting for the decision.

“The explanation offered was that our concerns were adequately represented in the report.

“They clearly were not.”

Mr Troy said council members were elected to represent the people and not developers and it was up to them to hold accountable city planners who might be acting in the interests of others.

“There needs to be a review of how the mechanisms in the planning world work,” he said.

“Housing is overruling sound planning.”