Former fire boss slams Satterley’s hills housing estate

Former West Australian fire commissioner Wayne Gregson has lashed out at plans by powerful property developer Nigel Satterley to build a housing estate in the Perth Hills.

Speaking at a rally in Mundaring on Sunday, Gregson said plans to transform 555 hectares of bushland into a 1500-house development in North Stoneville was too risky.

Wayne Gregson was WA’s Assistant Police Commissioner for seven years and WA’s inaugural DFES Commissioner for five years. Credit: Zac Williams/ZW Photography

“I’ve seen firsthand the challenges of responding and fighting fires increasingly impacted by climate change,” he said.

“The climate risks are increasing and yet today we are forced to rally against the possibility of tripling the local population in an extreme bushfire zone.

“Populating hazardous regions, to the scale of this plan, knowing what we know, should be challenged.

“The isolation, a national forest on the doorstep, traffic gridlock potential on a network of winding rural roads designed to take a few hundred locals – not thousands in panic with fallen trees and powerlines, residents towing heavy, slow-moving horse floats – these are critical and complicating factors around populating this location.”

Satterley Property Group wants to build a sprawling suburban-style town site for thousands of people on land owned by the Perth Anglican Diocese. The site, surrounded by an extreme bushfire zone, is 150 hectares bigger than Kings Park, and larger in area than London’s Hyde Park and New York’s Central Park, combined.

Since its inception the development has been plagued by its detractors and delays.

In July 2020 the WA Planning Commission rejected Satterley’s North Stoneville plan, a plan that was not supported by DFES due to concerns the road network would not be able to support the evacuation of the new town site and other nearby communities in a bushfire.

Satterley appealed the decision in the State Administrative Tribunal where it has been granted nine extensions and underwent two years of confidential mediation.

Timeline

January 2019: Around 1000 residents said no to North Stoneville in public submissions to the Shire of Mundaring.

August 2019: Shire of Mundaring councillors voted unanimously no to the development plan.

July 2020: The WA Planning Commission formally rejects North Stoneville citing the bushfire risk.

August 2020: Satterley and the Anglican Church appealed to the State Administrative Tribunal and more than two years of confidential mediation followed.

November 2022: Mediation ended and Satterley decided to amend their development plan.

February 2023: Satterley submitted its amended plan to the Deparment of Planning with public submissions to follow in due course.

Last week Satterley presented an amended plan to the Department of Planning, which will be released in ‘due course’ for public comment.

Regardless of any changes, the plan will remain urban as developers are only permitted to make ‘minor’ changes to its original plan.

Greens founder Bob Brown travelled from Tasmania to attend the rally and said the Perth Hills was an ‘extraordinarily important’ biodiversity hotspot that needs to be protected.

“We’ve got better alternatives for housing more people but there are no alternatives for our world-famous flora and fauna,” he said.

“This housing estate is a money-making venture and it won’t replace the magnificent natural realm on Perth’s doorstep.

Greens founder Bob Brown travelled from Tasmania to attend the Save Perth Hills rally. Credit: Zac Williams/ZW Photography

“We should be consolidating our housing closer to the city where services are.”

Brown called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to visit the community and hear their compelling evidence for saving the 555 hectares North Stoneville land, including rare trees and wildlife.

“The North Stoneville forests, which a housing developer and the Anglican Church hierarchy plan to destroy for money, are habitat for rare species which the Albanese government is pledged to save from extinction.

“The Perth Hills is a magnificent biodiversity region, including a stronghold for three species of black cockatoos facing catastrophic loss of numbers due to habitat destruction. It is death by a thousand cuts. The federal government should act now and not wait to see if the development gets state approval to show it will take real action for endangered species.”

Greens member Brad Pettit said putting more development on the urban fringe was “madness”.

“This project has so many levels of stupid,” he said.

“Perth is now one of the longest cities in the world and we have some of the worst urban sprawl of any city.

“For every dwelling that goes out on the urban fringe it requires a taxpayer subsidy of around $90,000.“

Satterley declined to comment but has previously stated the bushfire management plan proposed for North Stoneville would reduce the bushfire risk at the town site and for the wider locality.

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