THE Shire of Mundaring has voted to recommend approval of a proposed 61-lot residential development on Helena Valley Road, despite concerns about the area’s traffic, future development and rural character.

Last week’s council meeting voted 7-2 to recommend the approval of the development of lot 253 (330) and lot 254 (335) Helena Valley Road, Helena Valley to the Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC), subject to a number of conditions.

The shire’s conditions include modifying the transport impact assessment (TIA), in accordance with advice from Main Roads WA, to reflect the revised location and access arrangement to Helena Valley Road and demonstrate the provision of auxiliary left- and right-turn treatments.

The conditions also require all residential lots within the Western Power easement area to be removed, with the affected land to be used for public open space.

Cr Luke Ellery moved an alternative motion, seconded by Cr Prapti Mehta, which included several additional amendments.

The amendments include reducing the proposed density from R20 to R10, increasing public open space outside the Western Power easement and engaging the Bibbul Ngarma Aboriginal Association at the subdivision stage.

Cr Ben Heptinstall supported the additions but opposed recommending approval of the development, citing concerns raised by residents.

Earlier in the year, the shire received 24 anonymous community submissions, with 23 opposing the proposal and one supporting it.

A prominent concern raised in those submissions was the impact the new housing development could have on traffic.

One submission from a resident who has lived in Helena Valley for 20 years said traffic congestion had increased dramatically in the area.

“A trip to Midland that once took approximately seven minutes can now take up to thirty minutes depending on traffic conditions. This makes it extremely difficult to plan daily activities,” the submission said.

“The existing road infrastructure is already under significant strain. Increasing the population in an area with existing traffic congestion raises significant safety concerns that must be addressed before any further development is considered.”

Cr Heptinstall also mentioned feedback he had received from residents on social media through a Facebook post that now has 96 comments.

“We’re considering another 61 residential lots, potentially less under this amendment, but residents don’t experience traffic impacts one day at a time. They experience the cumulative effect of every development and every change to the surrounding road network,” he said.

“Helena Valley Road, Military Road and Midland Road already have traffic issues. Then we have future works associated with Roe Highway and potentially Helena Valley Road. We also have the Lloyd Street Bridge and potentially a commercial development next door. So, when do we actually assess the cumulative impact of all these development and infrastructure changes?”

The neighbouring properties at 145 and 230 Helena Valley Road are currently on the market, with the listing advertising a range of development possibilities such as residential, retail, childcare, education and community facilities.

During the council meeting, Cr Mehta asked whether the TIA accounted for growth over the next five years.

Shire of Mundaring manager community planning Scott Price answered that from the modelling perspective, there is a general assumption in terms of forecasts and figures.

“The other thing to note is that there is some discussion around the upgrading of the Lloyd Street bridge, so from Main Roads’ point of view they’ve acknowledged that this is a bit of a problematic intersection, and as such, I’d imagine they’d be looking at the appropriate ways to alleviate the traffic concerns there,” he said.

The TIA does not account for traffic impact caused by potential development next to lots 253 and 254. It estimates that it would generate 49 vehicle trips during the morning and evening peak hours when fully developed.

In response to community submissions, the applicant said: “Traffic has been assessed by Stantec (transport consultant agency), with forecast peak hour traffic generation of approximately 49 vehicle trips. This remains below the WAPC threshold for requiring broader intersection modelling. Existing congestion, road safety concerns and maintenance issues identified by the submitter are recognised, but they are broader local and regional matters and are not materially generated by this proposal.”

Cr Ellery acknowledged the objections but encouraged councillors to vote to recommend approval.

“To simply vote this down will be seen as a protest vote by the WAPC and it will not support the Helena Valley community,” he said.

“For the issues of later developments, that isn’t on the cards right now. I have to make my judgement on the same page that the ultimate decider (WAPC) will make. Therefore, this is the best opportunity to address the issues at the current phase of the structure plan with an opportunity to address future issues in the subdivision phase.”

Council voted 7-2 to support the amended recommendation, which will now go to the WAPC for consideration.