Witchcliffe Community Association urges residents to provide feedback on Shire of Augusta-Margaret River plan

The head of the Witchcliffe Community Association has urged residents to provide feedback on the region’s new draft planning scheme.

President Todd Giles told the Times his community group was going through the draft documents carefully, and encouraged other residents and ratepayers to give Local Planning Scheme 2 close scrutiny because some of the proposed changes were not supported by his group.

“We just wish to make the ratepayers aware of all the changes, especially zoning changes that are presently out for public comment,” Mr Giles said.

“We suggest doing your own homework and/or even asking the hard questions to your locally-elected representative councillors — which can be hard with the breakdown of the ward system — as the councillors of course hold precedence and power over the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River in its final decision making.”

Mr Giles said his group wanted residents to be “proactive” rather than find out about changes once decisions were ratified by the State Government.

Existing concerns related to proposed changes to zoning affecting farmers as well as other categories, including conservation land, and what else had changed with them.

Although one meeting had already been held, Mr Giles said WCA members felt planners were “somewhat grey in their answers”.

While planners are working with residents and community groups to explain what the new draft contained, much of the concerns were created by new terminology and WA Planning Commission efforts to standardise planning schemes Statewide.

However, council watchers were also on guard about the potential for changes to benefit big developers in a climate where WA’s State Development Assessment Unit would make the final decisions, rather than the Shire.

Surfrider South West’s Preserve Gnarabup campaign earlier this month forced an admission of error from the WAPC about a proposed zoning change adjacent to the resort.

Spokesperson Beth Carlessi said if one error could be found, others also had to be identified.

Surfrider remained concerned about the deleting of references to tourism for the proposed Westin Margaret River Resort & Spa and associated village sites in the new draft scheme.

Shire planners told the Times it should be noted the local government’s submission to SDAU on the Gnarabup project included tourism provisions and a call for any permanent housing instead of short stays to be “incidental” to the overarching use.

“This is consistent with council’s view that the dominant use of these sites should be tourism, noting that even in LPS1, permanent residences are permissible in the tourism zone,” they said.

“Whether the draft version is the best version of the scheme (or not) will be informed by consultation, as well as the further assessment and final consideration by the WAPC and Planning Minister.

“This is exactly what the consultation process is for.”

Mr Giles earlier this month helped effect an extension to the Shire’s public comment period which now ends on February 28.