The City of Bunbury has voted in favour of a new construction project along Ocean Drive.
At its meeting on Tuesday, April 17, the council voted 5/3 for an amended condition which would go towards the development of six grouped dwellings to be built on Ocean Drive near Stockley Road.
Council had originally granted development approval to the applicant, R and M Prosser and Son, on November 28, 2017.
R and M Prosser and Son then applied to have condition 11 removed. The condition called for the applicant to contribute $2,727 for the development of a footpath in the area.
According to Planning and Development (Local Planning Schemes) Regulations 2015, local governments must consider the adequacy of access for pedestrians and cyclists when discussing applications for development approval.
The city had found there was a “clear need and nexus” between the proposed lots and a potential footpath along Stockley Rd.
The report also stated the lots would provide increased pedestrian usage along both sides of Stockley Rd.
While addressing council, developer Steve Prosser discussed reasons for not including the contribution in the development approval.
“The City of Bunbury does not have a plan in place to legally impose a charge of a footpath contribution. We are willing to pay if the local government has a legally endorsed policy and if the planning scheme, signed off by the Minister, is gazetted,” he said.
“The city needs to share some of these up-front costs, such as footpath contributions, and look at the long-term benefits of increased revenue of income in rates.”
Dave Prosser also stood against footpath contribution charge.
“The council can not impose this condition without a contribution policy,” he said.
"This, to me, breaches the principle of transparency.
The city has not been transparent in the way it has calculated the contribution and the manner in which it is applied.
“It’s our view that this footpath should be funded through the increase in rates generated from this development.”
City of Bunbury Acting Mayor Jaysen Miguel said developers were required to provide contributions to assist with the development of footpaths across Bunbury.
“There is a fees and charges set-up in regards to contributions from developers,” he said.
“I believe it yields somewhere around $80,000 per year in regards to developments and subdivisions. It goes into the network of footpaths.
“There will be a development contributions plan coming later on which will wrap everything up a bit more cleanly.”
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