Fight to preserve Floreat bush fails

A decade-long battle to save 63ha of bush in Floreat was killed off yesterday with a State Government decision to allow housing on the environmentally sensitive land, a move local conservation groups said was devastating.

Decisions about the University of WA land in Underwood Avenue and conditions for its use have gone between the WA Planning Commission, the State Administrative Tribunal, the Environmental Protection Authority and the State and Federal governments for years.

In May, the City of Nedlands voted to push the $100 million development plan forward after voting in December to oppose it.

The site is a vital habitat for endangered Carnaby's black cockatoos and Friends of Underwood Avenue convenor Margaret Owen said the decision was heartbreaking after so many years of trying to save the bush.

She said its environmental significance should have ruled out development long ago but admitted the move was expected after Environment Minister Donna Faragher dismissed 33 of 35 submissions opposing development in September.
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Update 15 July: WWF opposes Perth bushland development