Satterley, Qube move on Mandogalup sites

Land covering almost 60 hectares in Mandogalup is within Satterley and Qube Property Groups' reach after the state government stepped in to override the local council's decision.

Satterley Property Group has lodged an application to the City of Kwinana, requesting a rezone of 34.5 hectare of land on Hoffman Road from 'Rural' to 'Development'.

Qube Property Group has lodged a similar application for a 24.6 hectare lot next door, on Rowley Road.

The groups' proposals, which would allow the sites to be subdivided and developed once a local structure plan was adopted, were recently released for public feedback and will be out until early October.

The Western Australian Planning Commission had rezoned the Mandogalup sites to 'Urban' as part of its metropolitan region scheme in 2018.

Both groups lodged applications in 2019 but the city's councillors refused to amend its local planning scheme, saying a piecemeal rezoning of the land would not be appropriate until there was certainty with medium to long term land uses at the Mandogalup sites.

Qube and Satterley property groups complained to the Minister of Planning Rita Saffioti following the council's decision.

Ms Saffioti has stepped in and directed the city to bring its local planning scheme in line with the state government's metropolitan region scheme.

"After the city’s initial refusal of the scheme amendment, it was ordered by the Minister for Planning to adopt and advertise the proposed amendment," the city's chief executive Wayne Jack said.

“After the advertising period, council is required to reconsider proposed scheme amendment(s) in light of any submissions made and provide the WA Planning Commission with a schedule of these submissions and council’s consideration as to whether it supports or does not support the amendment."

The council decided to adopt the proposed rezoning in December 2021 and both Qube and Satterley groups lodged new applications in July, which the city is now advertising for public feedback.

A Satterley Property group spokesperson said the company had been working through the planning process with local and state government authorities since the 2019 refusal.

“This land is the final piece of our Honeywood development (across the other side of the freeway) and will be developed into a community called Florence,” the spokesperson said.

Qube Properties managing director Mark Hector said the land rezoned to Urban by the WAPC was part of its Apsley Mandogalup master planned estate.

“(It) will ultimately be developed into residential lots to continue the urban footprint southwards,” he said.

“This was clearly promoted by the City of Kwinana in its development and adoption of the Eastern Residential Intensification Concept which in turn has led to the establishment of Improvement Plan 47 covering planning for the land previously affected by the interim buffer which has now been removed by the Department of Planning and WAPC.”

Buffer zone

According to a report submitted to the Department of Lands, Planning and Heritage, land use planning for Mandogalup had been uncertain for many years, due to the nearby Alcoa residue disposal areas and the Kwinana Industrial Area to the west.

The buffer zone separating the Alcoa residue areas and residential had been the source of debate over a decade.

In 2018, the state government endorsed findings by the Environmental Protection Authority that the level of dust in areas affected by the buffer prevented landowners from selling or subdividing their properties.

Representatives for Alcoa and Kwinana Industries Council opposed the proposed rezoning at the city's council meeting in December last year.

According to council minutes, Planning Solutions senior planner Reece Hendy said the proposals did not represent orderly and proper planning.

"We are not aware of any change to the formal buffer that was adopted by the WAPC in September 2010 and affirmed by the WAPC in May 2011," he said at the time.

"It is critically important to resist residential development occurring in an area which may be impacted by existing and future land uses on adjoining land."