Smiths development fire risk is life and death
The development at Smiths Beach is very much a case of life and death.
This isn’t just the view of the Smiths Beach Action Group. It’s the assessment of the WA Government’s own Department of Fire & Emergency Services (DFES), which has expressed strong concerns about the development proposal for several years.
The following is an extract from email correspondence between DFES and the State Development Assessment Unit (SDAU), the shadowy approval body through which the proposal is being progressed.
SDAU: “Unless I’m misinterpreting this advice, it would appear that DFES has the view that the development is ‘fatally flawed’? Given that there is no secondary access to Caves Road, nor is it within the ability of the developer to provide this, then the development would be incapable of being approved from a fire management point of view.”
DFES: “Yes, your interpretation (‘fatally flawed’) is consistent with DEFS’ view. Demonstrating compliance with Element 3: Vehicular Access would require an alternative vehicle access route to be constructed outside of the lot boundary that connects to the wider public road network and provide an alternate vehicular access route to another destination.”
Smiths Beach is one road in and one road out, and anyone who has ever visited in summer will tell you that road gets extremely busy - and that’s without more than 2000 new residents and visitors joining the existing community in trying to escape a fire.
The development proposal falls at the first hurdle for bushfire management. In the event of a significant fire, we’d all be in serious trouble. As DFES has noted, “the proposal would increase the threat of bushfire and the vulnerability of people.”
Despite this, the developers of the proposal have refused to upgrade roads and intersections to improve safety around fire events.
CUTTING COSTS BUT RISKING LIVES
Instead, their proposed solution - which would cut costs but greatly increase threat to life - is to build a 2037-person refuge bunker in which everyone would be expected to gather to wait out a fire. This so-called solution isn’t supported by DFES or the City of Busselton and we believe may create legal issues into the future.
Being confronted by a raging bushfire and having nowhere to go is a frightening proposition. What makes it even more frightening is that, in assessing the proposal, the SDAU is not duty-bound to accept or adhere to advice from other agencies like DFES.
Another extract from correspondence with DFES suggests the SDAU is actually looking for ways for the Smiths Beach development to proceed, irrespective of the entrenched risk around bushfires.
SDAU: “Obviously this [lack of secondary road access and unsuitability of a bunker] would have significant implications for a development at north of $50m and it would be helpful to understand whether there are any measures by which the development could comply.”
The Smiths Beach Action Group does not oppose all development at Smiths Beach. What we ask is that developers act responsibly and don’t cut corners to save costs, and that the body which decides on approvals values human lives over the wishes of developers.
Shouldn’t this just be a given!?
Please tell your friends and your family (and anyone else you think might be interested) about the need to Save Smiths Beach.
Please also let the Environment Minister Matt Swinbourn, the Planning Minister John Carey and the Premier Roger Cook know what you think about the disastrous fire risk posed by the proposed Smiths Beach development.
The Premier can be contacted by email at wa-government@dpc.wa.gov.au and by phone on (08) 6552 5000.
Our community has rallied once before to stop large-scale, unsustainable development at Smiths Beach and with a collaborative and cohesive effort we can do it again.