PLANNING — BUSHFIRE
MANAGEMENT — MT HELENA
10. Hon
TIM CLIFFORD to the minister representing the Minister for Planning:
The Western Australian Planning
Commission recommended against a subdivision in Mt Helena based on the
Department of Fire and Emergency Services' advice that bushfires could
not be adequately managed and the development would pose a risk to lives and
homes. The Minister for Planning has overridden this advice, saying in an article
published by The West Australian —
The approval is a commonsense
approach that balanced the needs of the community with the management of fire
risk.
(1) Will the
minister please elaborate on how commonsense will be applied by residents of
this subdivision in the event of a bushfire?
(2) Will the
minister clarify whether there are any streets that pose an entrapment risk in
or around this subdivision; and, if so, how will the minister ensure that
residents on these streets are able to evacuate in the event of a bushfire?
(3) Will the
minister please table any reports or advice received from the government's
climate change department on this matter?
Hon
STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
I thank the
honourable member for some notice of the question.
(1)–(2) Appropriate
planning requires that technical concerns are balanced with ensuring the
ongoing viability of hills communities. The minister noted that the Shire of
Mundaring supported the bushfire management plan prepared for the metropolitan
region scheme amendment 1277/57, Mt Helena urban precinct, which includes an area
incorporating 20 existing houses on the landholdings that were rezoned, and it
is adjacent to an existing subdivision.
An updated and refined bushfire
management plan was submitted to the Shire of Mundaring as part of the local
structure plan for the site, and sets out the site requirements to be addressed,
including access arrangements and lot configuration. The local structure plan,
including the bushfire management plan, was advertised by the shire for public
comment from 16 November to 14 December 2018 and will provide a recommendation
to the WAPC.
(3) The ''Report
on Submissions'' for metropolitan region scheme amendment 1277/57, Mt Helena
urban precinct, was finalised in October 2017, and contains the advice received
from government agencies, including the former Departments of Parks and
Wildlife and Environment Regulation. I table a copy of the submissions.
[See paper 2378.]