Question On Notice No. 2722 asked in the Legislative Council on 22 November 2019 by Hon Tim Clifford
Question Directed to the: Minister for Environment representing the Minister for Transport; Planning
Parliament: 40 Session: 1
Question
I refer to the Forrestfield North Subdivision, and I ask:
(a) is the Minister aware that the development plans for the area surrounding the Forrestfield Train Station is leaving a number of property owners with properties deemed as either public open space or of significant environmental value;
(b) given that the community and this Government recognises the importance of environmental protection and the need for public open space, what is this Government doing to compensate those property owners affected, whose primary nest egg has now been locked within this policy limbo; and
(c) why is there no designated State fund for private landowners whose properties have endangered flora on them and are deemed environmental conservation by the Environmental Protection Authority (WA)?
Answered on 12 February 2020
(a) Yes.
(b) The Government will continue to work with the City of Kalamunda to explore options to protect areas of significant environmental values and public open space in Forrestfield North. Options include acquisition of the affected lots through a development contribution plan or via reservation under the Metropolitan Region Scheme.
This is not unique to Forrestfield and it’s something that occurs across many developments.
(c) The Metropolitan Region Scheme is widely used to reserve land for the protection of environmental conservation areas and may trigger compensation processes for private landowners.