Mundaring shire pleads with Commonwealth to reconsider North Stoneville approval

The Shire of Mundaring has pleaded with federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to reverse her approval of a controversial housing estate in North Stoneville.

Shire President Paige McNeill wrote to Plibersek on Wednesday formally requesting she reconsider her approval of the structure plan for the 535-hectare, 1000-lot town site granted on September 16 over concerns she used outdated environmental surveys.

Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

“The Mundaring Shire Council and community are gravely concerned about the North Stoneville development’s significant impact on local biodiversity, including the loss of 60,000 trees which are a critical breeding habitat for the endangered Carnaby, Baudin’s, and vulnerable Forest Red Tailed Black Cockatoos,” she said.

“We are deeply disappointed with the decision that has been based on environmental surveys undertaken seven years ago and believes that serious consideration must be given to the current condition of the forest that has been impacted by the cumulative environmental fallout of the Wooroloo 2021 bushfire and the 2022-23 summer drought.

“We strongly urge the Minister to reconsider this decision, as the significant loss of habitat for vulnerable and endangered species in North Stoneville would have irreversible consequences for the local environment and greater Perth.”

However, Pilbersek’s hands may be tied with national environmental protection laws only allowing her to revoke approvals in the case of serious contraventions or if proponents wilfully withhold information about potential environmental impacts in their applications.

Plibersek’s approval under the Howard-era Federal Environmental Biodiversity Act was a major blow to advocacy groups fighting the Satterley and Anglican church development, but it was heartily welcomed by the developer’s founder, Nigel Satterley.

The shire argued Satterley’s plans to remove 200 hectares of critical habitat for the development and its proposed offset plan 184 kilometres away in Williams would not adequately help cockatoo populations.

“Attempting to recreate these unique ecosystems in regions with different soil and climatic conditions,184km away, is highly challenging and puts the long term survival of the species at great risk,” it said in a statement.

Satterley has been attempting to establish the estate on 535 hectares owned by the Anglican Church diocese since 2016, when the church recruited the company to develop a townsite for 2800 people, three schools and a 193-hectare conservation area.

Plibersek’s approval accepted that the clearing associated with the development could be managed by planting trees in another location.

The development has turned off members of both sides of the political divide.

Hasluck Labor MP Tania Lawrence and Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds have both voiced their opposition to the project publicly.

Reynolds has said Plibersek had the “capacity and authority” to defer the decision under the Act.

Lawrence has previously said she was “gutted by the fact we have a development potentially putting 3000 people in harm’s way”, referring to fire risk concerns flagged in opposition to the project including by former WA fire commissioner Wayne Gregson.

“Recent bushfires in 2003, 2008, 2014, and 2021 all occurred within 5 kilometres of the proposed development site,” she said.

“The proposal includes dense residential properties, significantly increasing fire risk and endangering the entire estate with limited emergency evacuation measures, threatening lives of residents in the Perth Hills”.

Satterley is trying to overturn WA Planning Commission rejections of the development around fire risk in the State Administrative Tribunal.

The next directions hearing at the State Administrative Tribunal scheduled for November 8.

Satterley declined to comment on the shire’s letter. Plibersek’s office was approached for comment.

with Sarah Brookes