Kate Chaney (Curtin, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last Wednesday more than a hundred Curtin constituents came to my 'Good Infill' event at the Claremont Football Club, looking out over an example of successful infill around the oval. Getting infill right is important for two reasons. Firstly, as we identified in our community driven Curtin'spathway to net zero report, increasing density reduces emissions by reducing urban sprawl, transport emissions and the average size of dwellings to reduce energy use. Secondly, at our Curtin housing forums, the community identified the two top issues as being lack of affordable housing and lack of diverse housing. Doing infill well addresses both. These community led findings led to our 'Good Infill' event, where we challenged the western suburbs' reputation for resisting development and had a richer discussion. There is support for infill if it's done well. We heard from experts about what good infill looks like, with some current examples. Good infill is close to transport, is mostly medium density, has good local amenities, protects existing tree canopy, increases overall green space, is built net-zero ready and provides a diversity of housing options. Importantly, it involves the community in the planning process and respects neighbourhood character. The majority of attendees felt that there was room for improvement in how we do infill to make it more sustainable and liveable. Attendees' top three priorities for good planning were transport, green spaces and access to amenities. Thanks to everyone who took part in the discussion.