Henley Brook alignment
Dear Echo News,

I write in support of the Swan Valley Residents’ and Ratepayers’ Association comments to Echo News (Letters, February 21.)

City of Swan’s head of operations stated recently that he is not aware of any environmental assessments (other than a 2013 desktop study) that have been done for the entire length of the Henley Brook Avenue alignment.

This is despite its proximity to remnant vegetation, black cockatoo habitat, a conservation category wetland, Bush Forever site 200, banksia woodlands of the Swan Coastal Plain threatened ecological community, three gas lines, two monitoring stations, associated earthworks within the APA gas monitoring station, priority 1 agricultural farmland protected under the Swan Valley Act and the pick-up/drop-off and parking zones of a primary school with soon to be 700 students.

These are serious obstacles to actualising this road, not to mention significant cost implications that ratepayers will bear.

Mayor Richardson forgot to mention that Henley Brook Avenue has not proceeded beyond Asturian Drive in Henley Brook.

The alignment encroaches on black cockatoo habitat, by law requiring the city to refer the work to the Commonwealth environment department (DCCEEW) for assessment.

Instead, the city commissioned an inadequate and inaccurate assessment to apply for a WA Environmental Protection Act clearing permit.

This substandard application has been appealed and the work has been held up for the past five months.

An environmental review for the entire length is well overdue.

The piecemeal approach being taken by staff can hardly be called orderly and proper planning.

Nor can the city afford to blithely keep committing resources without doing their homework.

This is not the action of a responsible government.

It is time the city put its big pants on and undertook proper comprehensive environmental and fiscal assessments for this alignment before proceeding further.

The Swan Valley community has been asking for these assessments for more than 30 years and has been consistently fobbed off.

The inaction of the city in this matter is highly questionable and continuation risks reputational damage.

J Zeck
West Swan

Stoneville Road chaos
Dear Echo News, 

Whilst I would generally applaud the shire for upgrading our roads, I cannot applaud whoever is organising the roadworks on Stoneville Road.

It’s an absolute mess.

A totally infuriating and challenging time for everyone in the area.

Communication is limited, detours inconsistently applied, signs left up even when the detour is not in place and what should be a 1km trip to the local shop can now be a 12km detour through Mt Helena.

More importantly why on earth was this timetabled for summer and the height of the bushfire season?

It’s chaotic enough for the locals, I hate to think of the confusion out of area fireys would experience attending a fire under lights and sirens in the middle of the night.

Not to mention the distress an already fire traumatised community would experience trying to evacuate.

Whoever is planning this needs to put the community first – the roadworks could have and should have waited.

D Sweetman
Stoneville

Stoneville based on law not politics
Dear Echo News, 

Matt Moran’s letter (Echo News, February 28) is at the minimum disingenuous.

He would be well aware that the decision to give environmental approval (not whole project approval) to the North Stoneville development was based on current federal legislation.

The federal government proposed amendments in 2024 to strengthen the Environment Protection Act, which would have prevented environmental approval.

However, those amendments were blocked in the Senate by both the Coalition and the Greens.

Representatives of all parties and the Shire of Mundaring have consistently and strongly opposed the North Stoneville development – approval or rejection of the development proposal is based on the law, not party politics.

A Paterson
Stoneville

Fast food concerns shared
Dear Echo News, 

I write regarding Fast food and car wash proposal for Kalamunda (Echo News, January 24) and I agree with residents’ concerns.

My wife and I live very close to a fast food outlet and can understand why the proposed Kalamunda outlet is being rejected by residents as some fast food outlets also attract antisocial behaviour.

We have seen on a few occasions troublemakers evicted from the store.

We are also sick and tired of picking up disposed wrappings from our verge from people that have made purchases from the fast food outlet.

F Cherry
South Lake