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The State Government has moved to fast-track approvals to provide Kununurra with much-needed residential land. Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan said on Friday that following her request, the WA Planning Commission had approved a shorter advertising period for a proposed rezoning of two potential development areas in the town by the Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley. "The advertising period has been cut from 42 to 28 days in a bid to ensure that the planning process is completed and development work can start immediately the wet season ends, about April next year," Ms MacTiernan said. She said the Shire, State Government land developer LandCorp and the Department for Planning and Infrastructure had been working with the local community and native title claimants to solve the town's land supply shortage. |
"The Shire's population has risen from 6484 in 1996 to 7211 in 2001 and is expected to exceed 8500 by 2011, due to expansion in tourism and mining," she said. "Current demand for residential blocks is estimated to be about 50." The Minister said the rezoning amendment to the shire's Town Planning Scheme Seven encompassed two areas of land, totalling about nine hectares, near Lily Creek Lagoon in Lakeside and would clear the way for the creation of about 70 lots. One is an area of public open space and the other has been designated as a primary school site. Under the proposed amendments, LandCorp will subdivide a section of the public open space for homes and enhance the remainder of the land to provide a more attractive and useable recreation area for the town. |
The amendment also provides for the relocation of the site for a primary school, which the Department of Education has indicated will not be required until the locality is more heavily developed. Ms MacTiernan said it had been possible to cut the time for public comment because of the significant amount of community consultation already undertaken by the Shire and State Government agencies. "In fact, LandCorp is fine tuning a revised indicative subdivision concept plan for the two parcels to reflect the outcomes of a recent meeting between the community and the Shire," she said. The advertising period will run until November 20.
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