The Liberal candidate for Bullwinkel has written to the federal environment minister opposing the environmental approval of the project.
Matt Moran has written to Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek expressing his “deep concern” over the approval of Satterley Property Group’s North Stoneville development.
The Liberal candidate for Bullwinkel said he supported the views of the Shire of Mundaring and thousands of people in the community against the Satterley’s plan to bring more than 1,000 lots to the area.
The letter, dated today, follows the approval of the project under the Australian Government’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act in September.
“As minister, you had the authority to defer the decision under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act but decided against this,” he wrote.
“Your decision could see sixty thousand trees cut down in the Perth Hills. Perth cannot afford to lose that many trees with our canopy at just 16 per cent, the lowest out of all capital cities.
“The development will see houses built in a dangerous bushfire prone area, potentially putting lives at risk as the current structure plan cannot demonstrate safe evacuation in a bushfire emergency.
“Whilst more houses are needed in Perth, this is the wrong development in the wrong location.”
A final decision on the plan, which was rejected by the Western Australian Planning Commission in 2020 and has undergone several iterations since it was first proposed, rests with the State Administrative Tribunal.
The tribunal decision has been delayed multiple times, with the latest hearing not yielding a result.
The matter is scheduled to be heard in SAT again tomorrow, November 8.
Satterley Property Group declined to comment.
