THE City of Kalamunda council voted unanimously this Tuesday to seek WA planning commission (WAPC) deferral on the decision for the Pickering Brook scheme amendment.

The decision was made in the interest of allowing additional time for city, the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage and the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) to work collaboratively to address the bushfire concerns raised by DFES.

Kalamunda South East Ward councillor John Giardina moved for the deferral, seconded by fellow South East Ward councillor David Modolo.

Cr Giardina said the Pickering Brook townsite expansion project had been ongoing for a long time and did not seem to be gaining any traction for a while but now that some action is occurring, he wanted to proceed with caution.

“Finally something came through from one of the departments that gives us some possibility of working with them to find solutions and and I hope by deferring this we’ll be able to do that,” he said.

“I’m (proceeding) very, very cautiously with this – the last thing I’ll want is for this to be knocked on the head totally.”

Cr Giardina said due to the long bout of inaction on the townsite expansion, the truth was a lot of the Pickering Brook community members were losing hope.

“But the expectation is there that we actually do something with that parcel of land and it’s not only for them, but it’s for the school, for the sports club,” he said.

“I hope this (deferral) will go a long way in supporting what we’re trying to do.”

Cr Modolo also spoke to the motion, supporting the deferral to allow time to address bushfire risks.

“Pickering Brook is a unique area in that it’s one of the few areas in our city and perhaps in the metro area that the people there actually want development, and good development here is not just a planning exercise,” he said.

“I know the city and this council has done a mountain of work to try and progress that vision and a forced push towards getting it approval may see all of that good work undone.

“As the Minister for Housing and Lands John Carey has repeatedly said, WA needs more diverse housing options.

“That means different types, different scales, different locations and Pickering Brook is one of those rare locations where diversity is both possible and welcomed.

“While we recognise the need for sensible development, we can’t ignore the seriousness of the bushfire risk in the region and the concerns raised by DFES.

“That’s why seeking the deferral is not a step backwards – it’s actually a step towards getting this whole thing right.

“This chamber’s long supported the vision of a revitalised Pickering Brook, the people there are desperate for some semblance of future.

“Tonight’s motion will help ensure that that vision isn’t jeopardised.”

The Pickering Brook townsite metropolitan region scheme (MRS) amendment request resulted from a long history of planning for the townsite’s expansion.

In 2013, the City of Kalamunda’s local planning strategy (LPS) 2010 was endorsed by the WAPC who then recommended the investigation of an area of land within Pickering Brook for the expansion.

Then seven years later, in 2020, the state published Pickering Brook’s sustainability and tourism strategy part one, as a plan to expand the townsite and urbanise 14ha of land.

A bushfire risk assessment and management plan was prepared to support this proposal.

A year later, the council voted to request the WAPC amend the MRS to rezone the land from rural to urban.

However, the progress has since ground to a halt against the bushfire concerns raised by DFES who does not support the proposed townsite expansion while the risks remain.

The council’s latest resolution to defer a WAPC decision on the amendment would allow the City of Kalamunda to address bushfire safety concerns recently detailed by DFES to increase the likelihood of a positive outcome on the decision according to city documentation.

“This approach may alleviate the risk of the WAPC not initiating the MRS amendment, which would require restarting the entire process, leading to significant delays, additional costs, and wasted resources,” the officer notes stated.