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Submission on the Dalkeith Redevelopment Proposal

We submit that the proposed redevelopment of the Dalkeith village area should be abandoned in its present form. Any future proposal should only be formulated after more extensive consultation with residents in the Dalkeith area and must accommodate the views of the majority of those residents.

Our reasons for this submission are as follows:

1. There has been inadequate time for community consideration and consultation of a plan with such far reaching and long term implications. The majority of Dalkeith residents only became aware of the proposal in December 2007 and Council is proposing to have the resultant town planning scheme amendment gazetted by “mid-late 2008” (Informal Community Information Session, November 2007.) No reason or justification has been offered for such a short time for a major proposal, nor the fact that Dalkeith has been chosen as the first of the Nedlands precinct areas to pursue.

2. The process by which the proposal was formulated is flawed in that it allowed for substantial preliminary consultation with landowners in the precinct many of whom have been pressing for redevelopment in different forms and all of whom have a vested interest in the outcome. A proposal of this nature must take into account equally the views of all residents who will be affected by it not just those whose property may be included in it.

3. The proposed redevelopment is not in any way supported by the 2006 Housing Diversity Study. The fact that the study showed a slight majority of residents in Nedlands favoured some form of subdivision is not a sufficient mandate for a redevelopment of this magnitude. Only a slightly lesser proportion of residents did not support any subdivision.

4. There is no evidence of demand for the major increase in commercial space provided for in the proposal, including for facilities such as hotels, taverns and food outlets. Recent evidence in the village area is that it has been difficult to attract successful and sustainable commercial outlets in a number of locations.

5. One of the major rationales for the proposal is “so that land owners will know whether or not subdivision will be allowed on their block” (Housing Diversity Study, page 7). The proposed precinct development will in no way respond to the people in the City who may wish to have the right to subdivide and will not preclude pressure to do so in future. It only deals with (and benefits) a small number of landowners.

6. The scale and magnitude of the proposal is completely inconsistent with the existing nature and amenity of Dalkeith. The Urban Design Study is contradictory in that it acknowledges the need to retain the existing character of Dalkeith but refers to “offering a diverse range of housing options and services not only to the local residents but to the wider population” (our emphasis).

7. Although we submit that the entire proposal should be withdrawn there are several specific aspects of it to which we strongly object:

a) The so-called “landmark entry statement” on the corner of Waratah Avenue and Adelma Road is completely incongruous in the context of an urban village setting.

b) Allowing unit developments in the Dalkeith School precinct is without foundation or benefit to the community, in fact is inconsistent with the function of that area.

c) Certain of the proposed commercial uses on Waratah Avenue are completely out of place in an area such as Dalkeith – hotels, taverns and fast food outlets. Dalkeith is already well served for such facilities from nearby locations.

d) The provision for 5 story development.

The Urban Design Study states that “the challenge for this study is to provide for further development in a planned manner while recognising existing owners and their own aspirations, together with commercial uses and the locality’s heritage” (Section 1.1). The proposal demonstrably does not meet that challenge.

Phillip and Jenny Golding
Circe Circle
Dalkeith