‘City-centric’ plan needs focus on northern growth

In a detailed response to the draft plan, adopted at October’s Council meeting, the City repeatedly emphasised that it wanted greater certainty in the staging and delivery of infrastructure.

Mayor Tracey Roberts said a detailed staging plan was needed to support northern population growth and local job creation.

“The current draft focuses predominately on the Perth CBD and inner suburbs that will only reinforce a reliance on employment within or close to the centre of Perth.

“If the government is serious about addressing traffic congestion its transport plan has to align with the Western Australian Planning Commission’s (WAPC) vision for the whole of the metropolitan area. For Wanneroo this means recognising the role of transport infrastructure in supporting the development of Yanchep Strategic Metropolitan Centre and creating jobs in designated activity centres in the north west corridor.

“This transport plan must factor in strategic decisions for earlier infrastructure in outer metropolitan areas to stimulate economic activity,” she said.

“The early delivery of rail to Yanchep – with stations at Alkimos, Eglinton and Yanchep – and the Mitchell Freeway extension to Romeo Road will provide crucial access to future strategic employment centres and stimulate local economic development opportunities.

“Clear and consistent timeframes are critical for the City to meet the state government’s employment self-sufficiency target of 60 per cent or 96,000 local jobs by 2031.

“The City’s response calls for the timing of the rail extension to be reinstated as 2020, otherwise we will see more car-based development that forces our rapidly growing population to spend even more time on the road.