Speech by Jan Barrie for Sunsets Not Skyscrapers at Parliament House - 7th Nov. 2018

     

SUNSETS NOT SKYSCRAPERS

RALLY TALK:  NOVEMBER 7, 2018

Intro by MC, Russell Goodrick -  Jan Barrie, long time resident of Scarborough & Member of Sunsets Not Skyscrapers.

Good morning Members of Parliament, Ladies and Gentlemen. It’s good to see so many community groups represented!

I’ll be circulating two petitions here today about something our group feels strongly about and we hope you’ll sign them. I’ll also hand out some flyers for you to read.

But first, I’d like to tell you a story.

It’s about a beautiful beach.  White sands, rolling ocean, magnificent sunsets. You know it well!  It’s called Scarborough Beach.

Up until the 1980’s this beautiful beach had a low level skyline-  a bit like Sydney’s Bondi or Queensland’s Noosa.  Then along came a greedy and dishonest little boy with lots of money, questionable ethics and connections in high places.  Corrupt decision makers allowed him to build a towering high rise hotel on this lovely beach which broke all the rules and set a dangerous precedent.

The local community opposed it vehemently.  Someone who remains unknown even tried to blow it up! But money changed hands and it went ahead anyway.  It later became the stuff of legends during “WA Inc” – an era of corruption which brought down a State Government and saw several of the key players go to gaol, including the naughty little boy!

But too late! The beautiful beach now had a permanent eyesore on its shores. A big white elephant visible for kilometres.

Let’s fast forward a few years. After much community consultation, in order to block future over-development, the State Government, the Stirling Council and the local residents agreed on and adopted strict ‘design guidelines’. These guidelines stipulated that any future development in the Scarborough Beach Development Area could only be built to a maximum height of 12-storeys.  TWELVE STOREYS.

Over time the beachfront had become a bit shabby and needed reinvigorating.  Last year this happened with the MRA Scarborough Foreshore Redevelopment Project at a cost of $100m. Congratulations to all involved.  It’s a huge improvement.  And to complement the design, new property developers were all required to comply with the agreed 12-storey limit.

Now here comes the twist to the story, the sting in this tale.  Another naughty and greedy little boy came along with even more money than the first one. He also managed to establish connections in high places and garnered support to put up a high building.

But he didn’t want to erect a 12-storey building. Not a 20-storey building.  Not even a 30-storey building!  He somehow got permission from the powers that be to construct a building on this lovely beach that will be 43-STOREYS HIGH! 43 STOREYS! That is THIRTY-ONE STOREYS TALLER THAN THE AGREED LIMIT! 31!

The new building will be TWO & A HALF TIMES TALLER THAN THE ORIGINAL ONE! AND WHAT’S EVEN MORE ASTOUNDING  – THERE WILL BE TWO OF THEM!  OUR VERY OWN TWIN TOWERS! 

What happened to the 12-storey limit? Is the design so innovative or are the community benefits so fantastic that this project deserves special consideration? NO! 

Have the developers considered or properly planned for traffic management, pedestrian access, shading of the beach or the environmental impacts? NO! 

Is the design in keeping or in harmony with the natural surrounds, residences or the relaxed local lifestyle?  NO.

There has been petition after petition, submission after submission lodged by the local community opposing this project. Questions have been asked in Parliament, letters have appeared in the newspaper, there have been protests and public meetings, articles have been written by leading journalists questioning the approval process. But is the Government listening or investigating this dodgy deal? NO.

The building is going ahead in spite of all the objections and in spite of it being so far outside the agreed design guidelines it beggars belief.

For some reason.... this project is being forced down our throats. This is even though it will create shading on the beach, cause traffic congestion, pedestrian access issues, parking problems, be totally out of keeping with the surrounds and more. Not only this, but it will create a dangerous precedent for future buildings. AGAIN!

HOW CAN WE LET THIS HAPPEN?

All around WA, rapacious developers are being given the green light to turn our precious beaches and our stunning riverfronts into tacky carbon copies of Beijing, Shanghai, Miami and the Gold Coast. 

IS THIS WHAT WE WANT FOR OURSELVES? FOR OUR CHILDREN? FOR OUR GRANDCHILDREN?

Our community group is not anti-development.  But we want to see buildings that complement, not obfuscate, our natural attractions. We say to developers - play by the rules.  Stick to the guidelines.  Don’t block our glorious sunsets. Retain a sense of place in your designs. Understand the essence of the places you are trying to change.

And Premier, Minister for Planning and Members of Parliament - listen to the community. Listen to the people who live, work, play, vote and pay taxes here. We have a voice and we’re making it heard.  And that voice is saying : WE WANT sunsets – not skyscrapers!! 

Thank   you!

Jan Barrie

Member, Sunsets Not Skyscrapers

7 November 2018

You can download a copy of the petition to sign here.