FEDERAL Environment Minister Tania Plibersek says her approval of the North Stoneville development only relates to the project’s effects on matters of national environmental significance.

In a letter to WA Premier Roger Cook on September 16 Ms Plibersek said of national environmental significance in structure plan 34 were the Carnaby’s black cockatoo, Baudin’s black cockatoo, the forest red-tailed cockatoo and the chuditch.

“My department accepted that clearing associated with the development would clear habitat that could potentially be used by these species, however this could be managed by the offsets of other habitat within the area,’’ she said.

“This is the standard approach to the approval of matters under federal environment law.’’

But WA Senator Linda Reynolds along with Liberal candidate for Bullwinkel Matt Moran and Liberal candidate for Kalamunda, Adam Hort said the decision gave a green light to the proposed development in the Perth Hills.

Their joint statement said the federal environment minister had the capacity and authority to defer the decision under the Act.

“But the minister has now signalled approval for a development that has been opposed by local residents for more than three decades,’’ the statement said.

Hasluck MHR Tania Lawrence said it had been hoped the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act of 1999 might have been an avenue to veto the proposed development, but it had been determined the matter sat with the state to decide.

“I stand with my community and oppose the proposal in its current form,’’ she said.

In her letter Ms Plibersek said Ms Lawrence had also passed on concerns put to her by community groups like Save Perth Hills (SPH).

Ms Plibersek also received comments from Shire of Mundaring President Paige McNeil and deputy president Trish Cook, who is Labor’s candidate for Bullwinkel.

Ms McNeil said the council remained opposed to the proposed development due to bushfire evacuation concerns and state environmental impacts.

“The federal decision, under the EPBC Act, is an environmental approval, however SAT will make the final decision, at a future appeal hearing, as to whether the development goes ahead or not,’’ she said.

Ms Plibersek told the premier the federal government had no ability or authority to intervene in local planning or zoning decisions in relation to bushfire risks or traffic management.

“These are properly a matter for state governments,’’ she said.

“I trust the WA government is taking every necessary step to address these concerns in accordance with your responsibilities.’’

SPH chair Peter Brazier said the environmental approval struck at the heart of Perth’s hills, and demonstrated an indifference by the federal government of the bigger picture around environmental sustainability.

“This proposed development will wipe out a substantial swathe of natural environment in the Perth Hills, while, knowingly, placing thousands of homes, and thousands more people at bushfire risk and entrapment in a region that’s already lost more than 150 homes to bushfire in 10 years,’’ he said.

Save Perth Hills vowed to continue its opposition to what it said was an inappropriate 1990s style urban development in Stoneville which had been twice rejected by the WA Planning Commission, by the Department of Fire and Emergency, the Shire of Mundaring council, (twice) and by more than 3000 public submissions.