You Heard It Here First!

Two weeks ago, I drew your attention to what was in the white space between the lines of statements made by Allanah MacTiernan, Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, about the location of the new major sports stadium. That is a great present (and relief) for the Town of Vincent residents who live int he area between the railway and the river.

[Incidentally, reading between the lines is second only to being able to read upside down (when you're sitting on the opposite side of the desk from someone) in value if you really want to know what's going on. I got to be very good at both reading specialities during my years in the public service - but that's another story!]

I didn't anticipate that an announcement would be made at the same time of $500 million for a world class museum on the banks of the Swan River in the East Perth Power Station, but that is another thing that should warm the hearts of those same residents.

A museum will attract a substantial number of people - but not 60,000 at a time! Moreover, those people will be coming throughout the week and weekend, but in manageable numbers that suggest that public transport will be able to make a very substantial contribution. We will, however, still need to ensure that those who do come by car don't infringe on the residential amenity of the Banks Precinct.

The proposal I made on 24 January (previous post on this blog) looks even better with the museum. An 'inner collar' transit service will help get the crowds away from the new Subiaco Stadium in a more orderly way (especially those who are heading for the Northern or Southern suburbs). It will also provide convenient access to the new museum for many inner urban residents who live too far away to walk but don't live close to a train station - so would otherwise drive their cars.

A side benefit of the museum might arise from associated activities that provide opportunities for this isolated part of Vincent. I am sure that the East Perth Redevelopment Authority will be looking closely at its plans for the remainder of the East Perth Power Station site to include a suitable mix of activities (not just residential) to take advantage of the proximity to East Perth train station (improving access for pedestrians across East Parade in the process) and the proposed "inner collar". But not with a full road link for Summers Street across the railway - more like a 'green bridge' (public transport, pedestrians and cyclists - and. of course, emergecny vehicles only), please. Who knows, it might even be sufficient to get a Brisbane-style fast ferry service (perhaps linking the Belmont racecourse development, the East Perth Powerstation Museum, the Burswood development and the City and on to the University of Western Australia).

Does Alannah know something we don't?

I have previously expressed my concern (shared with many East Perth residents) about the proposal for a 60,000 (or even 70,000) seat sports stadium on the East Perth Power Station site. Well, perhaps the cat has been let out of the bag.

Speaking at the University of Western Australia Summer School yesterday (23 January), the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, Alannah MacTiernan is reported (West Australian, 24 January, p13) as saying that the Northbridge Link, the Mounts Bay foreshore area and "other projects including the cultural centre and East Perth Power Station redevelopment would collectively deliver 10,500 residents and 19,000 jobs in the city". How likely is that if a major sports stadium were to be built on the East Perth Power Station site?

Perhaps the whole stadium proposal was smokescreen to soften up residents of the area to be more accepting of high-density residential or mixed-use development on the site.

A report was released this week that give qualified support to a light rail service between the city, Subiaco and the QEII Medical Centre. At a cost of $400 million, this would be an expensive shuttle service and does nothing to help residents of the Northern Suburbs who would only be able to get to the QEII Medical Centre by public transport by travelling through the centre of the City. Wouldn't it be more sensible to link also to Leederville Station, which provides direct train access to the whole coastal strip (north and south) without having to travel on congested central city roads.

This also makes sense if the major stadium is to be located in Subiaco, as the link to Leederville could provide an alternative public transport option for people from all points north and south along the Clarkson to Mandurah railway.

And while we're about it , let's make it more of system and link round to East Perth (through Vincent) via Beatty Park and Members Equity Stadium, the East Perth Power Station redevelopment andending up in the Royal Street hub of East Perth, which could also be an eastern terminus of the Subi-City shuttle.

I must admit, though, to having severe reservations about light rail - and not only because of the cost. One of the most consistent messages that the people of Vincent have given me over the 12 years I have been a Councillor is that they want power lines put underground - and not just in residential streets. Light rail requires an intensive overhead infrastructure as well as the rails in the roadway. And those rails aren't very friendly to cyclists or pedestrians (especially those who rely on mobility aids, including wheelchairs). Earlier this year, in Cologne, Germany, I witnessed a cyclist fall when her bicycle wheel became trapped in tram tracks - fortunately there wasn't a tram bearing down on her at the time, but she was very shaken and upset.

There are alternatives that are environmentally responsible and less intrusive, using, for example, in-road electronic guidance and on-board power systems such as gas/electric hybrids (similar to the Toyota Prius car) and, of course, hydrogen fuel cells. Let's at least have a look at these before inflicting yet more poles and wire on our communities.

Access and Inclusion

As Chair of the Vincent Universal Access Advisory Group (UAAG), one of my great pleasures is to be part of the Vincent Improved Access Awards, which were presented on the International Day of People with a disAbility (3 December). This year, the Awards of Excellence went to:
- Hawaiian Group/The Mezz shopping centre redevelopment
- The Brisbane Hotel
- Workability "Life Works Programme"
- ASeTTS (Assisting Torture and Trauma Survivors)
- Carers WA
- Kieran McDonald
- School of Isolated and Distance Eduction

The All Seasons Hotel (formerly the Acacia) received a Certificate of Commendation. The UAAG was able to suggest some improvements that would further enhance the accessibility of this venue.

You can see more about these worthy winners in the Perth Voice of 22 December - or click on the image at the right. The diversity of recipients shows just how broad the concept of access and inclusion is.

This year, I had the added pleasure of nominating, on behalf of the UAAG, Elizabeth Scott, the Town's Manager, Library Services, as Employee of the Month for December. This was in recognition of her (and her staff's) role in supporting Kieran McDonald through a traineeship in the Vincent Library. The School of Isolated and Distance Education won a Vincent Access Award for its support of Kieran and it is highly appropriate that we also acknowledge Elizabeth for her role.

And the future is in good hands as well. On 12 December, I represented the Mayor at Highgate Primary School to present the Town of Vincent Student Citizenship Awards. I also attended the presentation at Sacred Heart Primary School, but as a grandparent. Every year, I am amazed at the extent to which the award winners are involved in their school communities and in activities beyond their schools.

Bottled Water and Serendipity

I have been concerned for some time about Council's use of bottled water at Council meetings when we had perfectly good drinking water on-tap. We should be celebrating the fact that we have quality drinking water available on tap, when over one billion men, women, and children (more than fifty times the population of the Australia) do not have safe water to drink and therefore cannot live a healthy life (World Health Organisation).

I was thinking about how best to write a Notice of Motion for Council to remove bottled water from Council meetings and other functions, when an e-mail from the Earth Policy Institute popped up and made it easy for me. Not only did it provide much of the information I needed, it also alerted me to a similar motion that will be considered by the City of Manly (NSW) Council on 10 December.

I will be moving the following motion at the Council Meeting of 18 December 2007.

That the Town of Vincent:
(a) in line with the recent decisions by many US cities, the New South Wales Department of Environment and Climate Change, the City of Manly (NSW) and the NSW Local Government Association, ceases to purchase single-serve bottles of water on environmental grounds; and
(b) investigates the feasibility of
(i) installing more public drinking fountains in town centres, parks and recreation reserves and other public places; and
(ii) following the example of the City of Cologne (Germany) in providing temporary water stations at Town of Vincent-supported outdoor functions (such as the Hyde Park Fair, Leederville Street Festival and Concerts in the Park)
with a report to be considered by Council in February 2008.

Bottled water

According to the Earth Policy Institute, each plastic bottle used for water requires the equivalent of nearly one-tenth of a litre of crude oil. In addition, pumping, processing, transportation and refrigeration require up to a further 0.2 litre. That's nearly one-third of a litre of oil in total in every bottle of water.

To put this in perspective, a litre of crude oil produces just under half a litre of petrol. A typical Town of Vincent Council meeting (with nine elected members and four Executive staff) uses 1.5 litres of petrol to provide drinking water that could come straight out of the tap at less than 1% of the financial cost.

Over a full year (say, 22 Ordinary meetings, 11 briefings, 6 Special Meetings), that’s 60 litres of petrol (125 litres of crude oil).

Temporary water stations

The importance of regular water intake in hot weather (as well as at other times) is a common health message. Many of the Town-supported outdoor functions are in the hot Summer months.

When I was in Cologne in June this year, those who attended a week-long festival in the central city were provided with opportunities to obtain drinking water, where there would have been no justification for permanent facilities.

These could also be used to provide water for dogs brought to the function.

Stadium a Risk - but for whom?

Compare the scale and impact of the proposed stadium with Members Equity Stadium
(top right) and the dominance over the adjoining residential area.

An item in this week's Sunday Times raised the spectre of the proposed multi-purpose stadium costing more than $1 billion - that's a lot of money for something that would only be fully-used for one day a week during the AFL season. More to the point, that's a lot of prime inner urban land that would be sterilised and would have to be shut off at other times (with all the community safety and security problems that entails). A dead spot in the inner city is hardly in keeping with the much-vaunted principles of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design

From the point of view of the long-standing residents of the Banks Precinct, a stadium on the East Perth power station site would mean a lot of grief whenever the stadium was in use (as well as being exposed to security problems when it wasn't in use!). The Langoulant Taskforce has not properly addressed the question of how to get up to 60,000 people to and from events at the stadium without the Banks Precinct basically becoming a parking lot. The only upside would be that the Town of Vincent could reduce the residential property rate on the back of the parking fine revenue - but that would be cold comfort to the local residents.

When representatives of the Langoulant Taskforce (eventually) came to address the Banks Precinct Group, two things stood out.

One was that, whilst they had lots of examples of new and redeveloped stadia being 'welcomed' by the local community, not one of them involved a community that had not previously had a stadium in its midst. Every example was either a redevelopment on the site of an old and tired stadium or a replacement on a nearby site, with the old site being used for new housing and other facilities. Not surprising that the community saw the replacement as an improvement.

Did someone say that sounds like Subiaco?

The second was they had apparently not considered that the absence of hospitality businesses in the immediate vicinity of the East Perth site, would mean that people would all arrive and depart in a very short window of time. Subiaco, on the other hand, has a large number of cafes, restaurants and licensed premises within easy walking distance, so at least some people come early and/or leave late - and there is a substantial economic benefit to the area. Where would that benefit be for the East Perth site?

And then there is the fairness argument. The people of the Banks Precinct chose to live there because of its high level of amenity, despite (or perhaps because of) its being somewhat cut off from surrounding areas. As inner urban residents, they accept the need for higher residential density, consistent with maintaining the amenity of the area, but a 60,000 seat stadium would be a whole new ball game (pun intended). The Town of Vincent would not be able to approve a major non-conforming use on residential land - indeed it has a policy to remove or reduce the impact of non-conforming uses. This land might not be formally zoned residential, but that was clearly EPRA's intention before the Stadium proposal came on the scene, and it is the adjacent residential area that would suffer the greatest impacts.

Stay tuned - it isn't yet time to be making plans for lying down in front of the bulldozers, but it could come to that if Langoulant has his way.

Community Voice Should Be Heard

When I was in Brisbane last week, I saw an item in the Courier-Mail that attracted my interest. The Redlands Shire Council supported the community in rejecting a proposal for expansion of a quarry, over-turning the recommendations of officers and despite the views of the Mayor, who voted for the project "because council officers, the EPA, Natural Resources and Main Roads departments had all approved it with conditions". He went on to say if it's State policy and all those departments and our officers support it, I should too. Why spend ratepayers money fighting this...?

Now that's an interesting argument and has parallels in the Town of Vincent. I agree there is no point in allowing trivial matters to be fought out in the State Administrative Tribunal, as this is not only costly but reduces our credibility on more important matters. However, where Council has reservations about a proposed development and there is also strong community concern, we should be aware that if we approve the proposal, the community has no further opportunity to be heard. On the other hand, if we refuse it and the proponent does take it to the Tribunal, Council can invite members of the community to join with it in defending the appeal.

Some years ago, Council (at my instigation) adopted a practice of being represented by an independent town planner, an elected member and one or more members of the affected community when a proposed development was taken to the SAT after Council refused an application and over-turned an officer recommendation for approval in doing so. We did so to avoid putting our officers in an invidious position of having to defend a Council decision that went against their professional advice.

There are no guarantees of success, although I understand that we are batting very significantly better than 50% and we have had some notable successes. However, this is the only way, under the WA Planning Laws, that the community can be heard after Council has made a decision.

Protecting Hyde Park

My thanks to my Council colleagues for unanimously carrying the following amendments to the officer recommendation:
(iv) ADVISES the North Perth Rotary Club that:
(a) under no circumstances will stalls, storage containers or vehicles be permitted to encroach onto or park on any landscaped/mulched garden area located under any tree canopy;
(b) only vehicles with an official Town of Vincent parking permit will be permitted to remain within the confines of the park for the duration of the event; and
(c) the Town will issue infringement notices to ALL vehicles not displaying an official Town of Vincent parking permit.
(v) the Town's staff [will] negotiate with the North Perth Rotary Club in developing a plan for the layout of stalls so that vehicles and storage containers are not placed on the root zone of any trees within the park.

Purple Haze (not Jimi Hendrix)

For a few weeks each year, parts of Hyde Park take a distinctly purple hue when the Jacaranda trees come into full flower. That time is now, but we must not allow this beauty to distract us from the urgent task of stopping the lakes from drying out in future summers. If you look closely at the photograph on the left you will see that the eastern lake is already nearly dry - and we haven't even got officially into summer yet.

The London Plane trees that surround the lakes came under severe stress towards the end of last summer - and this one looks like being worse.

But there is good news! The Federal ALP promised, during the recent election campaign, to provide $2million to address the problems of the Hyde Park Lakes. We know there are no simple or cheap solutions, but this money will help us to do the job properly and in a way that is sustainable in all senses of the word. Whether it will be sufficient remains to be seen, but in any case I believe that Hyde Park is of such importance, beyond just the Town of Vincent, we should be involving the broader community directly in the process of ensuring its future.

The Vincent Hyde Park Lakes Working Group, of which I am a member, meets next on Wednesday 12 December and I will endeavour to achieve clarity, urgency and momentum to determine and implement a solution.

Council Meeting 19 November: Hyde Park Fair

Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend the Council meeting on 20 November, due to business commitments, but I am particularly concerned about the item about the Hyde Park Fair.
In recent years, the park has been under increasing stress simply from lower rainfall and falling groundwater levels. One result is that it takes longer for it to recover from damage caused by vehicles and stalls in inappropriate places - such as under the Plane trees around the lakes and under other large trees where our parks staff have done such a great job in underplanting. Vehicles and stalls not only compact the soil in the root zones of the trees, they directly damage the underplantings - the recovery last year took several months and needs more water (an increasingly scarce resource, especially in Hyde Park) than would otherwise be required for the health of the Park.
Without being critical of the Fair, which raises a substantial sum for good causes, I believe it's time we thought about a the fair being held in a less sensitive location or greater restrictions being placed on the use of sensitive areas and on the use and parking of vehicles in Hyde Park.

A catch-up on the past week

The trouble with starting anything new is 'where to begin?'. So, I'll start with a quick diary of what I've been doing this past week:
Friday 9 November: Margaret and I attended (not for Council but as past parents and now grandparents of a 'kindy-kid' - grand-daughter Emma) the 110th anniversary concert of Sacred Heart Highgate Primary School. It doesn't seem a decade since a group of dedicated parents helped save this school from closure! Now it is one of the jewels in the Catholic education system, occupying half of the refurbished convent building, with the Pre-Primary and Kindy on the 1914 Parish-built building next door. Photographs at http://picasaweb.google.com.au/IanRKer/SacredHeartHighgatePS110thAnniversaryConcert.
Saturday 10 November: Official launch of the Highgate Primary School Frog Garden - proving that with enthusiasm (of staff and parents) a little money (a $2,000 'open gardens' grant) can go a long way. Oh and there was the little matter of the new Pre-Primary play area, but the real focus was the Frog Garden that was the product of the students' efforts as well. Photographs at http://picasaweb.google.com.au/IanRKer/HighgatePrimaryFrogGardenLaunch.
As a matter of interest, Highgate just shades Sacred Heart in the heritage stakes as it is 112 years old. To have two of the oldest, still-operating Perth primary schools in the Town of Vincent is a real plus for the community and I am pleased to see that both are thriving.
Sunday 11 November: Mt Hawthorn Primary School Community Fair. As the one-time organiser of a school fete, I know how much time and effort must go into this biennial event that has become a real focus not just for the school but for the whole Mt Hawthorn community. Anyone who thinks that lawyers always wear thousand-dollar suits should have seen Tom Percy QC (or should that be SC these days?) playing up a storm on guitar as part of the Gang of Three that, for once, did have three members (not four). Pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com.au/IanRKer/MtHawthornCommunityFair2007
Monday 12 November : Launch of the Northbridge History Curriculum Materials, at the TAFE Art Gallery on Aberdeen Street. As a newcomer to the Town of Vincent Northbridge History Committee, I found this a very useful opportunity to get up to speed on this great project. There's a CD of information but you can also access it via the website: http://www.northbridgehistory.wa.gov.au.
Tuesday 13 November: Council Briefing. Only two items but important ones. One dealing with the potential redevelopment of the Norwood Hotel and adjoining sites on Lord Street, including one site that was in the City of Perth until 1 July this year when the boundaries were changed - potential to reinvigorate this rather down-at-heel part of Lord Street, but we need to make sure it sets an appropriate 'bar' for other redevelopment in the area.
The other was the draft Policy on Single-Bedroom Dwellings - I'm not happy with too much relaxation of criteria in this, as we know from experience that what Council 'may consider' quickly becomes seen by some as the basic entitlement when it comes to concessions on density and bulk and scale. I'll be submitting some written comments to try to tighten up this policy before it goes out for consultation.
Friday 16 November: Meeting at ToV to introduce the concept of car-sharing which has immediate potential to reduce transport costs for Vincent residents and long-term to reduce the residential (and possibly commercial) car-parking requirements of the proposed Leederville redevelopment. Car-sharing schemes are well-established overseas and one is already operating in Fremantle (http://www.nexuscarshare.com.au).