A positive, proactive plan

A key challenge for developers wanting to change the beachfront skyline is to find a balance between their own proposals and the requirements of the community in which they hope to operate.

While community sentiment is often divided on beachfront development, vocal opposition groups can exert pressure on local and State governments out of proportion with their support base, according to those at the WA Business News coastal development roundtable.

Roberts Day managing director Erwin Roberts said many negative perceptions could be turned into positives if consultation was under-taken at the beginning of the process.

“If you have old town planning schemes and policies that are very prescriptive, then when you go to the community and listen to what they would like to see and what their expectations are for development on the site, your ability to respond in a way that might assist the community in terms of what their expectations are might be diminished because you are locked in to one proposal,” he said.

“If more flexibility was allowed, for example on height, then additional income would be created for developers to respond to other issues.

“Community consultation early in the piece, married with an innovative way of controlling development rather than a prescriptive way, can turn hurdles around and negatives into opportunity.”

Australand State manager land, David Rowe, said the system provided for too much consultation.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for consultation, you have to do it, but you get the same groups coming back all the time and they become nuisances,” Mr Rowe said.

“You only have to ask the council offices, the ministry and the WAPC – I just believe that there are almost too many opportunities now for people.

“There is no doubt in my mind that well organised pressure groups are a huge hurdle and are not necessarily representative of the whole community.”

Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan said there would always be a tension between developers and the community and it was a question of getting that balance right.

“The coast belongs to all Western Australians, and there are always going to be activist groups which don’t hold the majority opinion,” Ms MacTiernan said.

“Developers have to be mindful to not take a position that is not reflective of community wants, however.

“Inevitably, the pressures brought to bear might see the project scuttled altogether, but I they ignore public sentiment at their peril.”

LandCorp CEO Ross Holt said engagement with the community was necessary for the best outcomes to be obtained.

“There has to be genuine engagement rather than just black and white,” he said.

“To work through things you have to genuinely engage, whether it be with the local government, planning people, community, action groups, the whole bit.

“I think at times we come up with answers and then try to defend them against attack – I think we shouldn’t necessarily have the answer up front, but be far more blank page oriented.”