AFTER 18 months of research and countless protests from Bullsbrook residents, the City of Swan has published modifications to its Local Planning Scheme 17.
The change, otherwise known as Amendment 40, caused controversy when Bullsbrook residents and truck drivers passionately opposed the city’s move to change the definition of a commercial vehicle and the number of vehicles allowed on a property.
City of Swan Chief CEO Mike Foley said the process cost the City more than $12,000 in advertising and legal fees.
“However, this does not include the cost of officers’ time, venue hire or the waiving of statutory planning fees for commercial vehicle parking applications for 30 days after gazettal of Amendment 40,” he said.
He said although it was difficult to determine the staffing costs, the City would have saved money if it had not been opposed.
He said the amendments could have been implemented several months sooner if not for the protests.
“But it was important for us to listen to our community and take into account their views,” he said.
“From feedback received during both rounds of consultation, modifications were made to Amendment 40 to reflect the varying needs of the community.”
Swan Valley Progress Association president Rod Henderson said Minister for Planning John Day addressed the biggest concern over Amendment 40: the truck weight limitation.
He said Mr Day’s decision to raise the limit from four to 7.5 tonnes made many people happy.
“In reality, the Swan Valley is not appropriate for an industrial commercial transport nature, but the smaller businesses have been catered for with the changes,” Mr Henderson said.
Mayor Charlie Zannino said the City would now implement the new scheme provisions.
Council would waive the $135 planning application fee for any parking of commercial vehicle applications for 30 days from January 9.
“We encourage any landowner who parks or intends to park commercial vehicles on their property to contact the City and ensure they have appropriate approvals,” he said.
Council passed Amendment 40 in March and, in October, Mr Day approved it with the modifications. Call 9267 9267 or email swan@ swan.wa.gov.au for further advice.