Thirty-two trees, including several significant mature ones, are set to be retained after the City of Gosnells voted to formally adopt a redesigned Improvement and Development Plan for Charles Hook Park in Huntingdale.
Located along Princess Street, the park’s site is set to undergo a major transformation similar to the subdivision and revitalisation of Robinson Park on Corfield Street in Gosnells.
Thirty residential lots will be created along the park’s perimeter, with high-quality open space in the middle to be developed into a vibrant community area.
Deputy Mayor Serena Williamson believes by retaining the trees, the project would be more than just producing land and would be producing a lifestyle and hopes it becomes an example for other local governments.
“There are many families in our community who still value the larger blocks and still value a tree in their backyard, and this gives them that option and that lifestyle to be able to build and still have those aspects in their life,” she said
“As a local government, we tackle trees, density and housing amongst our community all the time in all different ways, and I think if we have a parcel of land, we should be looking at the ways to best utilise that land, not just subdivide it like a developer would come in and do.”
“We’re taking a risk here with retaining the trees and having a caveat on there, but I think it’s a risk that our community wants us to take.”
With a total estimated development cost of approximately $7.4 million and the projected value of the lots expected to reach around $10.5 million, the city anticipates a profit of at least $2.5 million.
City of Gosnells mayor Terresa Lyness said the city secured State Government approval for the subdivision several years ago, with the goal of using the revenue to transform the park for the community, but community backlash forced them to go back to the drawing board.
“The councillors and I asked city staff to redesign the plan to preserve the trees, and last [week], council voted in support of the new vision,” she said.
“Now, several larger residential blocks will be developed with trees retained, a rare move.”
The cost of the redesign remains unknown, as the city stated that the redesign was prepared in-house, and there is also currently no known cost associated with retaining the trees.
Speaking to The Examiner Newspapers, member of the Gosnells Tree Canopy Advocates, Paddy Cullen, said it’s “wonderful to see the trees being retained,” but he would like the city to be more ambitious and set tree canopy targets.
“Perth’s declining urban canopy is an issue that our community feels very strongly about. It speaks to the future liveability of where we live. In the absence of leadership from the State Government, our local government needs to step in and act to stop the destruction of our urban canopy,” Mr Cullen said.
“This should be the norm, not the exception, as it is in other Australian cities.”
Also speaking at last week’s council meeting, Councillor David Goode said he was pleased to see the project finally progress.
“I’m into my eleventh year, and I remember talking about Charles Hook in year one, so it’s like, ‘guys, can you hurry up and get on with it.’ Having said that, we weren’t the hold-up; another department was called the State Government,” Councillor Goode said.
“It’s so nice for it to come before the council now for a concept plan, which I’m absolutely thrilled about, and I can’t wait till next year when it actually hits our budget.”
Mayor Lynes also brought forward an amendment to the City’s Development Plan for Charles Hook Park during the council meeting to ensure new residential developments are constructed using the latest high-quality sustainability practices, enforced through a restrictive covenant applied to all created lots.
“Any development at Charles Hook Park should reflect the importance of the environment and the benefits of sustainable design and construction,” she said.
“If the City is to be involved in developing land, then we should make the most of the opportunity to lead by example and aim to achieve the outcomes we want to see in 2024.”
As part of the amendment plan, the council also approved investigating the feasibility of providing a community battery for the subdivided lots.
With the project now subject to State approval, all necessary planning, design, and approval processes will commence over the coming months.
