PERTH WATERFRONT
PROJECT
184. Hon LYNN MacLAREN to the minister representing the
Minister for Planning:
(1) Is the
Minister for Planning aware that 20 459 people have petitioned Parliament to
reject the current plans for the Perth Waterfront development?
(2) Will the
minister respond to criticism by prominent Perth professionals that, rather
than the substantial increase in office accommodation the project would
deliver, the CBD needs instead a large population of permanent owner–occupier
residents?
(3) Has development of the waterfront begun?
(4) Is the
minister aware of community members' anger that commencing the project
by the turning of the soil last week amounts to contempt of parliamentary
process because Parliament has yet to respond to the petition?
(5) Will the
minister order that work on the Perth Waterfront development be suspended until
Parliament has responded to the petition?
Hon
HELEN MORTON replied:
I thank the member for some notice of the question.
(1) The
minister is aware that people have petitioned Parliament to reject the current
plans for Perth Waterfront. Considering the scale and ambition of Perth
Waterfront, it is natural for there to be a range of views about the project.
These views reflect people's attachment to Perth and the foreshore.
However, the potential to redevelop this area of Perth's CBD has been
the subject of community and government discussions for more than 30 years and
the state government is now getting on with the job and moving the project to
the delivery phase.
(2) The state
government is working to attract a mix of residential, tourism and office
development within inner-city redevelopment projects including Perth
Waterfront, Perth City Link and Riverside. When complete, the Perth Waterfront
will provide approximately 1 700 residential dwellings, hotel rooms or serviced
apartments; 150 000 square metres of office space; and 39 000 square metres of
retail space. The Perth City Link project will deliver approximately 1 650
residential dwellings for 3 000 new residents and 244 000 square metres of
commercial and retail space. The Riverside project will deliver approximately 4
000 new residential dwellings for 7 000 new residents, along with 90 000 square
metres of commercial and retail space.
(3) In answer
to the member's question of whether the development of the waterfront
begun, yes—thank goodness!
(4) The
Minister for Planning will respond to the Standing Committee on Environment and
Public Affairs directly.
(5) In answer to the member's question about whether
work will be suspended, no.