Residents fight proposed industrial buffer zone

About 60 landowners face the prospect of falling property prices as the State Government plans to ban residential development in prime semi-urban real estate north-east of Kwinana.

The Government introduced legislation in October proposing a buffer zone around the Western Trade Coast industrial area stretching from Coogee to East Rockingham, arguing it was needed to provide planning certainty and prevent urban encroachment.

But the inclusion of Mandogalup, 5km east of Naval Base, has devastated locals, who say a legislated buffer will leave them unable to sell, subdivide or invest in their properties.

There are 380 homes within the proposed boundary, including about 60 in Mandogalup, which has a long and rich history of market gardening.

The residents are fighting to reduce a proposed 1.5km buffer zone around Alcoa’s residue disposal areas, effectively elevated lakes, the nearest of which the company promised a decade ago to close by 2010.

The fight has pitted the Government, Alcoa and the Kwinana Industries Council against local residents and developers including Qube and Satterley Property Group, which would lose the right to develop 30 per cent of its Honeywood Estate west of Kwinana Freeway, costing it up to $55 million.

Labor has lined up behind the community in its southern suburbs heartland and promised a crisis meeting of 112 residents on Thursday night that it would fight the legislation.

David and Corina Callaghan, who bought their 1.6ha Mandogalup Road property for $1.25 million eight years ago and have added $200,000 of improvements, said they could not find a buyer since news of the buffer zone.

“No one wants to buy here because it’s a so-called sensitive area, ” Mr Callaghan said. He called on the Government to compensate landowners for their devalued property.

Neighbours Anne and Hubert De Haer said their plans to subdivide to fund their retirement were in tatters.

Satterley Property Group chief executive Nigel Satterley said it bought the land in 2005 because it had been designated “future residential” in the draft 2001 Jandakot District Structure Plan, which was later confirmed in the final 2007 document.

“We think retrospectivity is very unfair and sends the wrong message nationally and internationally to investors, that if you think one thing with the Barnett Government, you could get another, ” he said.

State Development Minister Bill Marmion said any development applications already approved would be honoured, so there was no scope for compensation under the Planning and Development Act.