Lake Coogee residents have been battling to make their large properties developable since back in the Gallop government days. Former councillor Robyn O’Brien (front kneeling) was back in the chamber at Cockburn’s last meeting urging them to strip any references to “industrial investigation” from its planning scheme.

THERE’S been some good news for residents living in a buffer zone around Lake Coogee, who’ve fought a decades-long battle to open their large blocks to residential development.

Cockburn council recently voted to amend the city’s local planning scheme and lift the threat of industrial development, which residents believe was being pushed by the Kwinana Industries Council.

Odours

The buffer itself was implemented in response to odour concerns from the Woodman Point Wastewaster Treatment Plant, and while residents say a 2020 upgrade has virtually eliminated them, a council report says the Water Corporation remains “steadfastly opposed” to any development.

The report said residents generally supported “investigation into whether residential development is appropriate for the area, subject to appropriate consideration of odour impacts”, but wanted the process sped up as it currently has a timeline of up to five years.

The Water Corporation recently announced an upgrade to the plant’s sludge treatment system so solids can be extracted for fertiliser, flagging sporadic odour releases during the three years of construction, meaning immediate action seems unlikely.

Many of the blocks are owned by retired market gardeners or their families; they’ve previously told the Herald they’d held onto the land as a form of superannuation, but the buffer has made them impossible to sell and now they struggle to survive because Centrelink considers them too asset-rich to qualify for the pension. 

But one landowner the Herald spoke to said the council vote was still worth celebrating.

“We will not let our land be used for industrial purposes,” he said.

“I don’t smell any odours around the area, but if I did smell a horrendous odour, I will not go against with the plan of putting a buffer if needed.

“I have lived for years in the area, but there has not been any issue with the smell, so I do believe that it is only the result of dirty tricks by the Water Corporation.”

by JEROLD DELA PENA and STEVE GRANT