Panel defers decision on Council Ave development plan

Receival of last-minute legal advice led to the the Metro South-West Joint Development Assessment Panel deferring a decision on a proposed multi-use development on Council Avenue.

The JDAP met last Friday to consider the proposal, which was not supported by City of Rockingham. But the panel received legal advice from lawyers for the proponent, Arise Rockingham Pty Ltd, on Thursday, November 1, which led to the deferral.

The application for Lot 301 (No. 2-6) Council Avenue includes four showrooms, a 24-hour gym, restaurant, a convenience store selling petrol, 108 car-parking bays, 22 bicycle-parking bays and a playground. A spokesman for the proponent said it was “disappointed” with the City’s decision not to support the development and believed the outcome was “preconceived and not considered on context or benefits”.

But the City called the location, on the corner of Council Avene and Read Street, a “prominent landmark site” which required a minimum three-storey development, not a “dressed up” single-storey proposal that “missed the mark” as appropriate use for the site.

Presiding JDAP member Tony Arias said the panel had not had sufficient time to consider the legal advice and moved a procedural motion following a 20-minute adjournment to seek a legal response.

He added that the proponent and City also needed to resolve the issue of access and egress to and from the site.

Access to and from Read Street is preferred by both parties; however the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage, which controls Read Street, does not support that option.

“We recommend the proponent and City liaise as a matter of priority ... there are significant issues and we are not satisfied we have the information to make an informed decision,” Mr Arias said.