Nedlands planning stoush looms
The Captain Stirling Hotel and nearby shopping centre are shaping up as the site of a potential western suburbs planning fight, with Nedlands council concerned it could be sidelined by the State Government.
The City of Nedlands fears the sites could go the way of Subiaco's former Pavilion Markets, where the Government intervened to allow a 16-storey tower to go ahead after the Subiaco council refused to advertise a planning scheme amendment.
Nedlands council has already knocked back two scheme amendment requests that would allow Woolworths to pursue a retail and residential development at the hotel site.
With the neighbouring shopping centre now for sale, the council believes developing both sites is inevitable and wants to avoid being overruled by either the Government or a joint development assessment panel.
A report to tonight's planning committee meeting recommends the council request the city to investigate planning options for the sites "as a matter of urgency".
Mayor Max Hipkins said the council wanted to avoid a situation where it was overruled and a development opposed by the community was given the green light by another planning authority.
One of the council's big concerns with previous proposals for the site was traffic.
"It's really an attempt to comprehensively plan that whole precinct," Mr Hipkins said.
"Our first thoughts and loyalties are towards our residents but the commercial owners are ratepayers, too, and we have an obligation to do the right thing by them."
A Woolworths spokesman said the grocery group would "seek to engage in the review should it proceed".
