Fire rating puts heat on developers of Hammond Park estate

Christmas canceled for public housing developers in Hammond Park; They said the fire rating imposed by state and local government agencies on a nearby tree farm would impose significant costs.

Qube Property and LWP Property Group have applied for approval to the WA Planning Commission’s statutory planning committee to add land to the Hammond Quarter development on Wattleup Road.

The previously approved building plan for the area is expected to create 435 residences. The additional land would add approximately 136 residential spaces.

The committee approved the expansion at its Oct. 8 meeting but retained the fire rating that the City of Cockburn and the Department of Fire and Emergency Services had recommended for the adjacent Christmas tree farm.

Both agencies said the tree farm should be classified as a “forest” rather than “low-threat (managed) vegetation.”

The developers’ planning consultants said the higher fire rating would lead to “significant and avoidable” construction and insurance costs.

Qube Property’s Stephen Carter told the committee an application had been made to Cockburn Council for retrospective approval of the farm, which included a bushfire management plan.

He said the City and DFES had adopted the worst-case scenario of leaving the trees to grow uncontrolled.

“In our view this requires an unnecessary risk profile for a situation that is unlikely to occur,” Mr Carter said.

“It will take many years for the trees to mature enough to be considered a pine nursery, and if the business decides to close, logic dictates that at least the last crop of trees be harvested and sold, rather than investing time and money into their growth to leave that investment in the ground.

“To be clear, we do not want to see this business closed. It is a great local business and really adds to the local area and we hope the Council will see fit to grant planning consent, but a commercial enterprise must still keep the impact on its property in check.”

WAPC planning officer Aiden O’Brien said the commission did not know what the City’s decision would be and could only act on the advice it was given.

“I really need to be guided by technical advice from the City and DFES who have more experience, qualifications and expertise in this area,” he said. Mr O’Brien said the rating did not prevent house building.

“What we did was look at worst-case scenario mapping for vegetation on these lands and ensure that even if they were classified for the worst-case scenario, these lands still had the capacity to develop,” he said.

“They are. It’s just a matter of what standard these homes should be built to.”

WAPC vice president Ray Haeren said while he appreciated that extra costs could hinder the development of batches, he should have listened to technical advice.

“I don’t believe it would be appropriate for us to make a decision other than the advice given,” he said.

Board member Megan Adair said a provision that all trees must be removed if the tree farm were to close would be a “very practical” outcome, but that was outside the statutory planning committee’s authority.

The City of Cockburn confirmed it was considering the application for retrospective approval but had no timeframe for when a decision would be made.

Mr O’Brien said the issue had a “long history” but the Council’s advice followed previous planning decisions taken by the minister and the SPC.