Personal Interest

Living in close proximity to this development and keeping in mind the very essence of why we bought our family home, has led me to take such an interest in this particular development. It is the feeling of a fairly imminent change to our life style and surroundings that has almost frightened me into the need to take action.

Until recently, I have not been one to write letters, book a babysitter to head to council meetings and certainly not take the time to start and maintain a blog. Yet here I am, juggling family life, university and now writing my heart out in hope that I can simplify the situation enough to grab the attention of people who may be willing to help our cause. You see, I fear that without people standing up and saying no to both the Anglican diocese as well as Satterley the developers, there is a very real chance the Perth Hills, will lose the very essence, of what makes them, the Perth Hills.

Our family enjoy the outdoors particularly walking, bike riding, native fauna and, (admittedly, quite selfishly), the quiet that is found is this area. As I have the privilege of being a stay at home mum, I quite often visit places on weekdays and as such am able to ‘avoid the crowd’. The thing is, as it stands, the Perth Hills has a very spacious feel thanks to the limited population of people living there. To think that there could soon be 1400 houses built, that could easily add 4000+ people to what is a small population, is concerning.

The impact such huge numbers will have on our community is one I feel will affect my family on a daily basis as well as visitors to our region who come to get a sense of space, a sense of place. Infrastructure as it stands is inadequate for the existing population let alone any influx, with a lack of flow through traffic in certain areas (which could prove deadly if there is a repeat of the 2014 Parkerville/Stoneville bushfires), a high unemployment rate of  5.87% (higher than the national average), not to mention the effect on flora and fauna through loss of habitat, interruption to breeding areas and likelihood of contamination to water sources.  It is my hope that my blog will help spread the message to save the much-loved Perth Hills.