We are relieved that the Statutory Planning Committee (SPC) has deferred their decision on LandCorp’s subdivision application to a later date. This means that there is still a chance to save the remnant Banksia Woodland on the former hospital site in Shenton Park. We are pleased that the committee listened to our concerns at the meeting on April 10th and will investigate the matter further before making a final decision. But the fight is not over yet. We have asked the WA Planning Commission (WAPC) if there will be another SPC meeting, when that will be, and if we can make a detailed submission before this happens. We’ll keep you posted. We have argued for over 4 years that this important ecological linkage should be retained and enhanced according to several key State Planning Policies. Yet LandCorp has chosen to ignore not only these policies, but also the science and the community’s wishes to save Lemnos St Bush. And shamefully, LandCorp has never provided an alternative plan to the WAPC other than developing within the bushland and cutting up the remainder into cells to reduce fire risk. But there is an alternative! We want LandCorp to remove the 29 proposed single residential lots on the east side of the site, replace them with higher density housing and use better construction standards when building; then infill targets can be met, with bushfire safeguards in place, and the entire Banksia Woodland saved. Now that’s good infill development! We are extremely hopeful that the SPC investigation will expose the deficiencies of our current planning processes and lead to a far better outcome. We can develop wisely and save Lemnos St Bush!