Housing challenges questioned

Dear Echo News,

There’s much ado about something when we see increasing talk about this or that additional housing.

It’s scary that much has to be done, and we’re in election mode where many a promise can be the precursor of an apology. Housing is an obvious choice to look at in more detail.

There are several considerations that might be given to housing:

Where are we going to put all these new houses – given that much of the available land is subject to fires and/or flooding and, linked to this, the extremely high insurance rates that go with such high risks?

What are we looking at in terms of housing? Brick and tile, timber, concrete slabs, etc.

Before we go into that let’s consider what we need for small to much larger housing projects.

First is some knowledge of the customers which might range from first home buyers with limited capital and income to older clients with saving and possibly a ‘too large’ house which they will sell.

Taking this into account it seems to me that, at least from the point of view of the Darling Scarp/Perth Hills, there are many very low-density housing areas that could be redeveloped into mixed low to high density housing areas.

This has benefits that I can see and these have to be considered by the state and/or federal governments if they are involved or, by forward looking cities and shires.

Much of new land housing developments in the wider Perth region is adjacent to busy roads which generate noise and air pollution.

Existing low density housing areas usually have roads, electricity, sometimes water and, occasionally, piped sewage disposal.

They are often well forested locations and future potential for very high property insurance costs - which may encourage people to leave.

Two factors to be considered here.

One is that by not developing areas close to highways, the area can be used to establish forests with fire resistant trees.

The second is that this will compensate for removing trees in existing low-density housing in forested areas to make space for low to high density housing.

W Buchanan

Walliston

Athletics ticket fiasco

Dear Echo News,

I tried to attend the athletics at the WA Athletics HPS on Thursday, but when I called the venue for details I was told by the reception that “I don’t know if it’s open to the public – I’ll find out. I’m at the aquatic centre”.

And I was then told after waiting a few minutes that it was and that if I want tickets, I need to get on the Ticketmaster website.

I did that, and ordered a concessional ticket, but then found out that despite giving my email address, it was only deliverable to my phone/phone wallet...which of course I don’t have (the wallet) being averse to being scammed.

I was eventually timed out of the Ticketmaster site after two minutes and so gave up.

This is a public venue. I am public (very!) and yet it was almost impossible to get through the process to gain entry.

The receptionist on the phone was very short with me when I asked her what “HPS” stood for. She told me “High Performance Stadium” and I asked, “Well, why didn’t you say so?” and she said that if I went to the venue/building I’d see underneath the HPS sign the words “High Performance Stadium”.

Naturally, I said “See – those words are necessary, so why not use them?”. She hung up.

I’ll just have to hope that we get a few seconds of it on the TV. Not happy. Welcome to 1984.

P Carman

Hovea

Bullwinkel climate challenge

Dear Echo News,

The Climate Council has rated Bullwinkel the eighth most vulnerable electorate to climate catastrophe.

We have already seen the devastating effects of bushfires in the hills and 12,500 properties are at severe risk of fires and farming properties of drought.

Conservatives must put the independent WA National Mia Davies who will stand up to the Queensland climate denying LNP above the Liberal candidate.

We cannot let a Dutton, ‘I’m not a (climate) scientist’ take the lodge.

C Hughes

Greenmount