By Nicole Stevens, Fremantle-Cockburn Gazette
A PROMISE by Landcorp to progress its Latitude 32 project in the next few months has been met with scepticism by residents of Wattleup and Hope Valley.
The residents are calling for an inquiry into the conduct of Landcorp over its handling of the Latitude 32 project.
Landcorp said last week it expected to finalise its structure plan and revised master plan for public comment in coming months.
General manager Luke Willcock said the WA Planning Commission’s decision made last November on a preferred location for the Kwinana Intermodal Terminal opened the way for Landcorp to move forward.
Mr Willcock has told the Gazette several times this year it was waiting for the WAPC to finalise the location of the terminal before it in turn could finalise its district structure plan.
“We will continue engaging with the community, providing opportunities for local input on both of the plans,” he said.
Wattleup community representative Janet Moore said no one had informed her about the Intermodal decision, which had huge consequences for the remaining homeowners in the town centre.
“We in the town site are always the last to know,” Ms Moore said.
“If the public had not been pushing for more certainty on the Intermodal, they would have dallied around and said ‘we’ll think about it’.”
Community representative Gary Taylor said people were fed up with Landcorp’s haphazard approach to planning and land purchases.
“The communication has been rubbish from the start,” Mr Taylor said.
“I don’t trust Landcorp’s track record.
“Landcorp has changed the goal posts every year.”
Mr Willcock said Landcorp had a commitment on behalf of the State Government to buy all private properties within the Wattleup town site.
However, the rural properties within the future Kwinana Terminal site were a matter for the WAPC, which did not respond to questions before the Gazette went to print.
Mr Taylor said he wanted the State Government to investigate Landcorp’s handling of the project to ensure residents had been paid a fair price for their land.
He also wanted to ensure they were also compensated for stress caused by the delays.