A Kenwick resident is caught in a catch 22 between the City of Gosnells and the Water Corporation over infill sewerage.
Ms Webb lives on Kenwick Road, a section of the City of Gosnells that was passed over for infill sewerage when the State Government program commenced in 1994.
More than 120,000 properties benefited from the scheme, at a total expenditure of $1.2 billion, but none of these benefits extended to 110 properties to the east and south of Kenwick’s train station, none of which have infill sewerage.
Ms Webb is keen to develop on her block, but the City of Gosnells planning scheme is clear – it doesn’t want septic tanks, one of only two ways of disposing of waste in the area, with the other an environmentally friendly sewerage system, was required to be installed by the City of Gosnells.
Both options struggle to live up to standard, with clay soil frequently clogging pipes and causing pumps to overload.
Ms Webb said she would soon be forced to act, but had no options available to her.
“I bought the property with the intention of developing it in the future, but at the moment I’m just a single property owner,” she said.
“The way the Town Planning Scheme is at the moment I can’t do anything, I can’t even sub-divide it.
“My house foundations are becoming corrupt and the septic tank needs replacing, it’s getting to the stage where I need to do something and I’m just stuck.
“In this circumstance the City’s Town Planning Scheme is self-defeating, it’s asking for deep sewerage when the State Government seems to have no intention of supplying it.”
However, Ms Webb believes the closure of the Armadale Line is a golden opportunity Water Minister Dave Kelly could not ignore.
“My understanding is that a major impediment to providing deep sewerage is that it would need to be put under the train line, that’s the major cost.
“If that train line is closing for 18 months, it’s the perfect opportunity to get it done.”
Minister Kelly did not respond to questions from Examiner Newspapers by deadline.
