newsletters

130 Waratah Ave
DALKEITH WA 6009

31st January 2008

Mayor Sheryl Froese, Councillors & Planning Officers
City of Nedlands
71 Stirling Hwy
NEDLANDS WA 6009

Dear Mayor Froese, Councillors and Planning Officers

re: Dalkeith Redevelopment (Precinct No. 18)

Further to my letter of 19th November 2007, I wish to make some extra comments.

It concerns me that one of the reasons given for altering the Town Planning Scheme in Dalkeith, was to provide some smaller housing options to older citizens wishing to stay in the area. Nowhere in the Dalkeith Precinct plan is there mention of a Retirement Village. There is grouped housing, but not specifically allocated to “Over 55” guidelines. It appears to me that the area designed for this is Alexander Rd where new homes are currently being built. Most people in the 70, 80 and 90 plus age group want to live in a single level, two-bedroom house/apartment, not necessarily with a garden, but certainly with all the facilities necessary to suit those who may need a walker frame or wheelchair at some stage.

I do not think that older people would want to live on the 5th floor above retail and commercial buildings, with all the attendant noise and smell from a restaurant, and this is not addressing the problem of accommodation for the elderly. Also anyone buying an apartment in Dalkeith would be paying about one million dollars (even above shops) and would expect to have secure 24 hour parking, that would not be possible if underground parking was to be shared with office workers and shoppers, etc.

Dalkeith does need a properly designated area for a retirement village somewhere close to the shopping centre, and I think the area containing the present smaller shopping centre would be ideal.

I am not against some redevelopment of the shopping precinct between Alexander and Adelma Roads with a laneway being created totally from land belonging to the commercial blocks facing Waratah Ave. I do not believe resuming any residential land is necessary, or moral. As I said before, I think the smaller shopping centre should be incorporated in the main group, which would be better for them and mean less shops closing down before even 12 months of operation. Underground parking could become a very expensive exercise if earthworks adversely affected adjacent buildings.

- 2 -

The land between Alexander Rd and Robert St contains a slight rise that makes it very dangerous for cars entering and exiting driveways, with the existing traffic. If the verges were taken away and parking allowed all along the block it would be even more dangerous.

Also the plans we are confronted with are for wall-to-wall five-storey retail/ commercial/residential are the most boring and ugly I have seen. We have some wonderful architects in this state and the area would easily accommodate three or four new restaurants, but we need proper set-backs to create the most pleasant area we can.

Time and money is being wasted on a project that is too big and does not fit the character of the Dalkeith community, for now or the future. No engineering feasibility relating to proposed underground parking has been included in the plans available. From the little real information given, it is considered that parking off street and under buildings would not be cost effective, because the existence of underground electric wiring, gas, water, telephone cables and area sewage piping would require complete re-engineering to cater for the expanded population following multi-storey and commercial buildings.

Who would pay for all the considerable infrastructure costs - the Council, the developers or the State Government?

For the above reasons, plus many more, the poor planning in its form as given to the ratepayers of Dalkeith Ward does not able the rate-paying owners of whole areas of Nedlands to authorize the Nedlands City Council to budget unknown amounts of their rates to continue with a project of unproved costing and/or engineering.

Yours sincerely

LEONIE GASTON