Floreat precinct structure plan saga continues as trio of locals added to new Town of Cambridge working group

Town of Cambridge councillors met with WA Planning Commission leaders about the Floreat Precinct Structure Plan saga just days before locals specifically invited to join such meetings in the name of transparency were officially welcomed on board. Mayor Gary Mack confirmed he was behind a request for last Thursday’s meeting, which included WAPC chairman David Caddy and two senior officials from the Department of Lands and Heritage. Councillors who could make the short-notice meeting at council’s offices also attended alongside some senior Town of Cambridge staff. The group discussed the controversial precinct structure plans as well as the town’s planning scheme and other matters, Mr Mack revealed. Only last month the council voted to form a working group, comprising three councillors, relevant town staff and a trio of local residents, to represent the town at meetings over Floreat PSP matters. And at a special meeting on Tuesday to appoint those resident representatives, locals suggested meeting with the WAPC just before appointing the working group was another example of leaving the people out of the discussion. “It sits very uncomfortably for me that this meeting with David Caddy of the WAPC took place four business days before this very meeting (tonight) to vote on the working group membership, the very group who are to attend such meetings,” Floreat resident Melanie Foley said. Ms Foley was one of the three Floreat residents later appointed to the working group via a secret ballot of councillors. The others were Anthony McKinley and Alistair Oliver. Mr Mack said a recording of last week’s meeting will be available to all members of the new group. The council on Tuesday also reiterated its intent to push ahead with its own version of a Floreat precinct structure plan, despite written advice to the contrary from the WAPC and town own staff. It considered a recommendation to step aside from the process by not awarding a tender for a planning consultant but a vote was lost 5-4. It then pushed ahead with a vote to award the $300,000 tender to appoint a planning consultant lead to produce a town-led proposal. Full details of APIL’s proposal for Floreat are yet to be released publicly but locals have railed against its vision for shopping centre site that includes multiple apartment towers from 10 to 17 storeys high. In favouring the town to produce its own Floreat precinct structure plan, Cr Jane Cutler said under the other approach, modifications to APIL’s version proposed by the town would not go through a public advertising process before being assessed by the WAPC. “The preparation of a PSP by the town best enables the interests of all stakeholders, including landowners and the local community, to be taken fully and independently into account,” she said. Mr Mack reiterated that there was a risk that APIL’s plan, which has been in the works for close to four years, would be accepted by the WAPC before the town had a chance to finish and lodge its version for assessment. ”I couldn’t think of a better way for APIL to get their way,” he warned. “The WAPC has made it very clear to the town that it is not in a position to assess two PSPs over the same area of land and there is no benefit to the community or the town in preparing a second PSP. “We are saying to APIL, ‘here it is, go for it’. The WA Planning Commission is going to take it over, totally going to brush us aside, and will advertise it. “That to me is the least desirable and the highest risk way of ensuring APIL get their structure plan approved.”