Grim news for owners of vacant land in one Perth suburb

City of Vincent vacant land owners will feel the push to develop from a 25 per cent increase in rates.
The rates increase is part of the city's 2025-26 budget that was adopted unanimously at the council's June 17 meeting.
In a media statement, the city said the budget focused on essential services and projects that mattered most to the community.
Your local paper, whenever you want it.
It said while residents were feeling the pressure of a challenging economic climate, the city was also continuing to face rising costs.
Residents in the city will have a 4.5 per cent increase in rates, which equates to $1.41 per week or $73.25 per year.
Rates for vacant residential properties will increase by 25 per cent.
Mayor Alison Xamon said they knew people were 'doing it tough' so the budget aimed to balance the pressure of the city's rising costs while ensuring it delivered core services and continued working on main projects.
'This is why we have worked hard to form a responsible budget that goes back to basics and ensures our roads, drainage, footpaths, playgrounds and facilities are accessible and kept to a high standard.' she said.
'We were recently named the second largest metropolitan council by the Office of the Auditor General for best practice in financial reporting and one of the top 20 councils in WA.
'This achievement is a testament to how seriously we take transparency and accountability in our financial management for our community.'
The budget includes funding for infrastructure upgrades, playground renewals, tree planting and community programs such as events like Rainbow Picnic, Festival of Culture, Perth Festival and Jazz Picnic in the Park.
'Our parks and sporting facilities are well-used by both locals and visitors to Vincent so we continue to invest in the maintenance and upgrade of these spaces,' Ms Xamon said.
'New playgrounds are planned for Brigatti Gardens, Britannia Reserve South and Hyde Park West, ensuring our parks continue to provide safe and enjoyable spaces for local families.
'One of our top priorities is to increase the tree canopy in Vincent, and this year we will be planting more trees and continuing to respond to the polyphagous shot-hole borer infestation.'
Vincent was ranked the eighth-lowest residential rating councils in metropolitan Perth in 2024-25.

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a day ago

• Perth Now

Grim news for owners of vacant land in one Perth suburb

City of Vincent vacant land owners will feel the push to develop from a 25 per cent increase in rates. The rates increase is part of the city's 2025-26 budget that was adopted unanimously at the council's June 17 meeting. In a media statement, the city said the budget focused on essential services and projects that mattered most to the community. Your local paper, whenever you want it. It said while residents were feeling the pressure of a challenging economic climate, the city was also continuing to face rising costs. Residents in the city will have a 4.5 per cent increase in rates, which equates to $1.41 per week or $73.25 per year. Rates for vacant residential properties will increase by 25 per cent. Mayor Alison Xamon said they knew people were 'doing it tough' so the budget aimed to balance the pressure of the city's rising costs while ensuring it delivered core services and continued working on main projects. 'This is why we have worked hard to form a responsible budget that goes back to basics and ensures our roads, drainage, footpaths, playgrounds and facilities are accessible and kept to a high standard.' she said. 'We were recently named the second largest metropolitan council by the Office of the Auditor General for best practice in financial reporting and one of the top 20 councils in WA. 'This achievement is a testament to how seriously we take transparency and accountability in our financial management for our community.' The budget includes funding for infrastructure upgrades, playground renewals, tree planting and community programs such as events like Rainbow Picnic, Festival of Culture, Perth Festival and Jazz Picnic in the Park. 'Our parks and sporting facilities are well-used by both locals and visitors to Vincent so we continue to invest in the maintenance and upgrade of these spaces,' Ms Xamon said. 'New playgrounds are planned for Brigatti Gardens, Britannia Reserve South and Hyde Park West, ensuring our parks continue to provide safe and enjoyable spaces for local families. 'One of our top priorities is to increase the tree canopy in Vincent, and this year we will be planting more trees and continuing to respond to the polyphagous shot-hole borer infestation.' Vincent was ranked the eighth-lowest residential rating councils in metropolitan Perth in 2024-25.

West Australian

12-06-2025

• West Australian

Water watchdog under fire: Just five inspections in North West for two trillion litres of allocations

There were only five on-ground inspections of water licence holders in the North West in four years, despite the region containing almost half of the water entitlement for the entire State. A scathing report released on Wednesday by the Office of the Auditor General found the government agency in charge of monitoring licence holders was not doing 'anywhere near enough' to protect water resources across WA and could not be confident licence holders weren't taking water illegally. The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) is tasked with monitoring more than 12,000 water licences across WA. The licences are used for everyday life, industry, mining and agriculture, with 78 per cent of all water used across the State drawn from underground aquifers. These free licences allow for the extraction of more than four trillion litres of water annually — enough water to fill more than 1.7 million Olympic swimming pools. In the North West there are 907 licences for a combined water entitlement of 2045 gigalitres, or two trillion litres. But only five on-ground inspections were held in the North West between 2021 and 2024. In the Ord River Irrigation Area, DWER failed to follow the recommendations of its own specialists who determined that based on scientific evidence and research, 10 per cent of licensees should be inspected annually. Auditor General Caroline Spencer found that while DWER carried out more than 2000 compliance activities a year, that number had decreased over the past three years and most activities were desktop reviews of unverified meter readings and information reported by licence holders. On-ground inspections also decreased, dropping State-wide by 67 per cent between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2024. Ms Spencer said despite increasing demand for water and a drying climate, DWER couldn't be confident that licence holders were meeting their licence conditions and that water was being extracted appropriately. 'This audit shows that DWER is not doing anywhere near enough to adequately protect our water resources, with compliance activities in recent years reactive and ad hoc,' she said. 'Poor management, over-extraction and illegal taking of water all threaten the long-term sustainability of our groundwater supplies and creates an uneven playing field for operators who are doing the right thing. 'As regulator, DWER has a critical role to ensure those licensed to extract and use water comply with their licence conditions.' Reports by the OAG in 2003 and 2009 also found the regulator's monitoring of water use in WA was not sufficient to ensure the resource was not being taken illegally. The report noted DWER had few staff to carry out on-ground inspections and while some compliance activities were performed by licensing officers, there were only seven dedicated compliance officers. In a response to the findings, DWER said it welcomed the report, would review its findings and implement improvements. It said the audit was held during a transitional period for its water assurance activities and while improvements were under way. 'An increase in enforcement activity under the Rights in Water and Irrigation Act 1914, including the issuing of daily penalty notices, resulted in record fines for water assurance enforcement activities in 2024,' it said.

West Australian

04-06-2025

• West Australian

At least 300 trees to be cleared from Hyde Park as part of shot-hole borer blitz

At least 300 trees are set to be cleared from the Hyde Park islands as part of a blitz to eradicate the polyphagous shot-hole borer. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development on Wednesday said it was working with the City of Vincent to remove up to 300 host plants — including native and non-WA native trees — from the lake's two islands over the next four to six weeks. DPIRD would not confirm how many infected trees had been removed since works began on May 19. 'The only WA native species on the Hyde Park islands are Melaleuca rhaphiophylla and Eucalyptus rudis,' a spokesperson told The West. 'Other species being removed include eastern states Casuarina spp. Melaleuca spp. and Eucalyptus spp. and non-native woody weeds including Erythrina x sykesii and Ficus sp.' The PSHB — which is native to southeast Asia — is a small beetle which burrows into trees and infects them with a fungus that slowly kills them from the inside. The only way to eradicate the beetle is to remove the infected trees. 'DPIRD is continuing to work in close collaboration with the City of Vincent to manage PSHB in Hyde Park, as part of the nationally funded and coordinated emergency bio-security response,' the spokesperson said. 'PSHB surveillance and management will continue in Hyde Park to protect the high value fig and London plane trees.' Thirteen infested trees at Hyde Park have already been removed, with another 33 pruned to their limit. A further 45 have been treated with insecticides as part of an ongoing chemical trial. City of Vincent mayor Alison Xamon said she was 'deeply saddened' to hear the beetle had burrowed its way onto the lake's islands. She said the city would plant up to 4000 new plants and mature trees on the lake's islands. 'Losing the tree is the last thing anyone wants to see, but DPIRD have determined this precaution is necessary to stop the borer spreading to other healthy trees at the park,' Ms Xamon told The West. 'Following DPIRD's works, we will be acting quickly on our three-year restoration program which has been formed in partnership with industry experts. 'About 4000 new plants, that will be resilient to the borer and climate change, will be planted on the islands this winter including mature trees. 'We previously restored the eastern island in 2012, which gives us confidence that our program will see the islands flourish again.' It comes just days after the State Government announced local councils could apply for the first round of its WA Tree Recovery Local Government Grant Program. Councils can receive up to $1140 in funding for each tree that is removed as a result of PSHB, but the City of Vincent is yet to apply for funding. PSHB has been confirmed in more than 80 suburbs across Perth since it was first detected in August 2021.