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Dear Minister Saffioti

Port Beach - south Leighton is eroding, and Government’s own analysis shows it will need some of the most intensive management in future of any WA beach area.

 

Yet, we now have a proposal by developers to zone old, poorly located industrial land to urban with a wholly inadequate coastal reserve - locking in planning decisions of a century ago before erosion risks were well understood, and decades before climate science modelled coastal change.

 

This is our one chance to get it right by giving the dunes room to rebuild and protect the beach, avoiding costly and destructive options in future, like seawalls.

 

You can deliver a proud legacy for our children by creating a coastal reserve and quality parkland for a growing population in what is already a popular and congested area. The community needs much more space for recreation and better access to the busy surf club and other healthy activities.

 

There will still be plenty of space for high quality development with good access to the train station behind a coastal reserve and parkland which will only increase its value in future.

 

The developer’s proposal threatens all of this and also contradicts and undermines WA’s coastal planning policy at a time we should be strengthening it.

 

We call on you to reject the WA Planning Commission’s current moves to rezone this land and instead undertake a thorough, transparent, participative and science-based analysis of the future recreational and natural coastal protection needs of this area. This should also take into account the Future of Fremantle process.

 

I look forward to your clear direction for this special coastal area soon.

 

Yours sincerely,