• Cockburn councillor Tarun Dewan says there were a few concessions towards Glen Iris residents’ concerns, but they were a “small win” in an otherwise disappointing decision. Photo by Steve Grant.
JANDAKOT residents have lost their battle to prevent the old Glen Iris Golf Course being developed into a housing estate.
On Monday WA planning minister Rita Saffioti announced she had given conditional support to amending Cockburn’s planning scheme so the 54-hectare site could become a “high-quality residential development”.
“This land was zoned as urban under the Metropolitan Region Scheme, and therefore the underlying intent for the land was urban use,” Ms Saffioti said.
“I acknowledge some of the concerns raised in the community, however it is important to note the land is privately owned and has already been cleared to facilitate its previous use as a golf course.
“The draft structure plan for the area includes setbacks from existing properties, the retention of around 20 per cent of the land for public open space, plus the delivery of new playing fields for community use.”
Ms Saffioti said developer Eastcorp Property Group would have to retain a “significant” number of mature trees, but Cockburn councillor Taren Dewan, who has been working with residents on their campaign, said it was an “ambiguous” condition that lacked a firm number. He had the same concerns about retaining “appropriate” black cockatoo habitat.
“I have been playing on the golf course since 2004 and know the history, and the impact on the stakeholders such as the people living there, golfers, the developer, the council and the WA Planning Commission,” Cr Dewan said.
Predicament
“If you bought at the golf course 10 years ago and then 10 years later they say ‘this is not a golf course any more’, how are you going to feel.”
“The things is that there is no option for the residents to go anywhere to voice their predicament,” he said, noting the council had backed them by voting against the amendment 9-1.
“My view is at this stage the council has nil saying going from this point forward, because no one can challenge the minister’s decision.
Structure plans and sub-divisions would be decided by the WAPC, while powers to decide multiple dwellings have effectively been taken out of local government’s jurisdiction and handed to the state-controlled development assessment panels.
Cr Dewan said residents would get some temporary relief before the area is completely built out because of a condition Ms Saffioti set that limits the number of dwellings to 250 until the traffic logjams on Berrigan Drive are sorted.
“At least there is some conditions imposed by the minister; for the trees and the traffic and the number of houses, so she has listened to the people, but it’s a small win,” he said.
He’d have preferred to see the portion of the site south of Berrigan Drive redeveloped into a 9-hole golf course and the remainder as green space.
“Why I am thinking about that is because the wave park is coming just south, so this could become a recreational corridor,” Cr Dewan said.
by STEVE GRANT
Fremantle Herald Interactive 
Thank you Steve and Tarun for writing the well set out article other than saying the Jandakot Residents and Ratepayers Chairperson and committee members are absolutely gutted by this decision for themselves and the thousands of residents and golfers around Perth. The first golf course has fallen so let’s see how many more will go in exactly this way- for money and greed. Legislation must be put in place, like NSW and VIC to ensure golf courses and the land they use for nature, wellbeing, exercise, tree canopy, young, old, male and female and not decimated like is being done here in WA. JRRA will be watching very carefully.