Ms WOODRUFF (Franklin) - Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise as the member for Franklin with the shadow planning portfolio to voice grave concerns I have about a proposed development in Lauderdale, which is with the Clarence City Council. I understand the development defies all good planning principles. It indicates a level of climate change denialism and a great disregard for local residents. It would, if it continues, have a huge effect on ratepayers and potentially have litigation effects for council. It is a very serious matter that this is being raised yet again. I am bringing it to this place because residents are waking up to the fact that this is on the table again, when people who have been listening would have thought this was dead.
This has been tried before. The proposed redevelopment involves rezoning from rural living. It next to the Lauderdale general residential area. It was taken to the Planning Commission as an amendment from Clarence City Council to rezone it to general residential. The Planning Commission correctly knocked it back. It is totally unsuited for the intensive level of development that is proposed. It would involve a massive increase in height in an area that is already prone to inundation.
After the Planning Commission knocked it back the Planning Minister, Mr Gutwein, wrote a letter to council indicating this development was a high priority project for the State Government. The State Government has kicked in $40 000 to the $150 000 that the Clarence City Council has spent on a feasibility project. They have conducted a feasibility study that is available at the Clarence City Council website for anyone who is interested.
This whole development has an extremely unhealthy sniff about it. The fact it was knocked back by the Planning Commission on good planning grounds is one matter. What we see from this Lauderdale Urban Expansion Feasibility Study, which was conducted by JMG Engineers and Planners, who I have no reason to consider to be anything other than excellent engineers, have undertaken a thorough 201-page study. They have identified, not surprisingly, some massive engineering issues involved in this development.
It is no surprise to people involved in the Ralph's Bay marina project that some of the people behind this are the same people who were having a go at that dog of a project. They are at it again. They are desperate to do something with land which is ill suited for anything other than what it is being used for. They want to make a quick buck. What we are seeing is an incredibly huge engineering problem that would involve 635 000 cubic metres of soil being imported into the area. According to the engineer, it would take 250 days with truck movements every four to five minutes. It would take a year just to bring the soil in to this area, which is flood prone. There are 583 proposed lots - 583 extra houses built in what is a flood-risk area. Parts of that area are high risk, which means they are prohibited from development and it would require a planning amendment to override the overlay in the planning system. This is absolute madness. Not only would it generate 4875 vehicle movements a day, it would have an incredible impact on existing residences.
The point of this is that the feasibility study said this is not viable. It would return a negative value per lot. That is assuming that only half the cost of the road upgrades come from the developer and the other half would have to come from the State Government. It could not be done on a piecemeal approach, so the whole area ought to be completely raised up 3 metres above the Australian Height Datum. It is a total disgrace that it has come back to the table and we will be watching this.