Karawara Vision

The Karawara Public Open Space Masterplan and Collaborative Action Plan incorporates 14 projects that aim to strengthen Karawara’s public open space and community character.

Since implementation of the Masterplan commenced in 2013, the majority of project actions have been addressed. The only remaining actions are for a wayfinding strategy to be designed and implemented through the Pedestrian Access Ways (PAWs) and to investigate and trial the installation of permeable fencing along rear property boundaries.

Public Access Way closure

At its December 2020 meeting, Council considered a petition with 11 signatures requesting the closure of a PAW located between Yallambee Place and Koolunda Court, Karawara (a site plan is available here). It was resolved to progress the closure of this PAW in 2021. The Council report and resolution is available on the Council Meetings page.

The City has further investigated the proposed closure in accordance with Option B of the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage (DPLH) guidelines - PAW closure where there is no endorsed pedestrian and cycle access plan.

Option B requires the preparation of a closure report that considers:

How the PAW forms part of the surrounding movement network
The location and access to community facilities from the PAW and the surrounding path network
The location of existing infrastructure assets
An assessment on the condition and use of other surrounding PAWs
Stakeholder engagement comments received from infrastructure providers, agencies, abutting landowners and other members in the community likely to be affected by the PAW’s closure.

In developing the Closure Report, the City undertook the following tasks:

A meeting in January 2021 with the Department of Lands to clarify the requirements to proceed with the PAW closure with a follow up meeting held in March 2022
A Dial Before You Dig search in February 2021 to determine the location of infrastructure assets located within and, or on land adjacent to the PAW
Correspondence with the City of Stirling in February 2021 regarding their internal procedures for PAW closure and lessons learnt in undertaking the process
Correspondence and written request to Kensington Police Station in March 2021, to provide a statement describing local crime in proximity to the PAW, and to identify crime occurrence in the immediate area
Preparation of a closure report which has been circulated to and comments sought from infrastructure providers and other agencies (i.e. Department of Communities, Western Australian Police) that may have an interest in the PAW
Engaging with the community in relation to the closure.

The Council endorsed the draft Closure Report at its 26 April 2022 meeting, resolving the following:

Request the CEO to submit the Closure Report to the Western Australian Planning Commission for determination
Request the CEO to inform petition signatories and those who provided feedback on the proposal on the progress of the closure
Prepares and adopts a Local Planning Policy on laneway closure prior to considering any further pedestrian access way closures in Karawara.

A copy of the Officer Report, Closure Report and council decision are available on the Council Meeting page within the minutes and attachments for the 26 April 2022 meeting.

The City has now submitted a request to the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage for the closure of the PAW. Should the Department and Western Australian Planning Commission endorse the proposal, the City of South Perth will need to refer the proposal to Department of Regional Development and Land (RDL) State Land Services for processing under section 87 of the Land Administration Act 1987.

The role of RDL State Land Services is to give effect to the request for closure of the pedestrian access way under section 87 of the Land Administration Act 1987 and undertake formal sale and conveyancing of the subject land.

The Karawara Public Open Space Master Plan and Collaborative Action Plan was developed through significant community engagement, including informal workshops, Aboriginal community focus sessions, a pop-up discussion trail and drop-in events.

The vision for the project is ‘working together to strengthen Karawara’s public open space and community character.’

Project principles

Building on Karawara character: Retain, enhance and actively build upon local spatial character attributes and seek to build upon the growing community capacity (pride)
Connectivity: Seek to retain and enhance existing important linkages throughout Karawara and to adjoining suburbs
Amenity: To incorporate amenity that reflects the landscape character and offers diversity of multiuse areas to foster community interaction
Safety and security: Continue to build upon developing a safe and welcoming environment.

The purpose of the Collaborative Action Plan is to provide the community and stakeholders, in conjunction with the City of South Perth, an agreed project list that can be collectively implemented. The implementation of each project is based on timing and priorities that may also require specialists, either from the City or external consultants, to aid in the design and implementation of each project.

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Related documents

Karawara Public Open Space Master Plan and Collaborative Action Plan (part 1) [ pdf - 6.3 MB ]

Site Plan: Karawara Pedestrian Access Way Closure [ pdf - 0.1 MB ]

Karawara was originally developed in the early 1970s using ‘Radburn’ design principles based around the presence of Public Open Space (POS) reserves for community use which are located to the rear of dwellings and connected to the road network by Pedestrian Access Ways (PAWs).

2006

In December 2006, Council resolved to review the Town Planning Scheme provisions relating to the interface between Karawara’s POS network and private properties due to community concerns on a number of related issues.

2009-2010

In 2009, the City engaged consultants Creating Communities Australia and Development Planning Strategies to undertake consultation with landowners, residents and other local stakeholders to identify ways to further enhance and improve Karawara. Extensive community engagement undertaken by consultants included community workshops and surveys during 2009 and 2010.

A number of issues, concerns and suggestions were raised by the community throughout the various phases of consultation, specifically in regard to the design and physical layout of Karawara. A lack of regular activity in the large areas of public space and lack of surveillance from adjoining properties were identified as factors contributing to the perceived high levels of crime and anti-social behaviour in the area. However, feedback also indicated a desire to retain the open space network whilst undertaking some minor design changes and improving the functionality, presentation and safety of Karawara.

Members of the Karawara community expressed many different views on how the suburb should be physically modified to address the identified issues which mainly centred on crime and safety. Varying opinions were expressed as to whether the POS reserves and PAWs should be closed and divided between adjoining properties, or enhanced and remain open. Based on community feedback, the consultants recommended that the City close some of the narrow POS links at the rear of houses and connecting PAWs. Two alternate options for POS and PAW closures were developed for the City by Development Planning Strategies.

Further investigations and consultation with service authorities regarding existing services and infrastructure located within the affected areas revealed that due to the location of water and sewer mains operated by the Water Corporation, only one of the two closure options could be considered. The remaining closure option provided by Development Planning Strategies became the only viable method of closing some of the narrow walkways behind houses. Implementation of the proposed closure plan would involve the legal closure of public land PAWs and POS and the associated sale and/or distribution of this land to adjoining landowners.

2012

In January 2012, the proposed closure plan was distributed to all Karawara landowners and residents for comment. In August 2012, Council resolved the following regarding potential closure of selected PAWs and POS links in Karawara:

The City develops a procedural policy specific to PAW/POS reserve closures in Karawara to guide officers in the implementation of closures and this policy be adopted by Council before pursuing closures
The City advise submitters of the above Council decision
The procedural policy shall require that before any closure of a PAW/POS be considered, that all residents directly affected by the closure be required to provide their support
The POS that runs between Meathcare and the rear of the four houses in Lenna Court be retained and that there be no requirement for the re-opening of the PAW between number 7 and 12 Lenna Court; and
No action be taken to require the owners of number 11 and 16 Woonan Place to reopen the PAW between their properties.

In October 2012, landscape architecture firms UDLA and CoDesign were engaged to develop the Karawara Public Open Space Masterplan and Collaborative Action Plan (the Master Plan). The project brief focused on maximising community and stakeholder input.

2013-2019

In December 2013, the Council endorsed the Master Plan and commenced a number of projects to facilitate its implementation.

Project 10 of the Master Plan sought to test and evaluate the closure of one PAW. The PAW to the east of Yallambee Place was used as a test case. In order to close the PAW, the PAW land would need to be purchased and amalgamated with the adjoining lots. At the time a number of constraints were identified, and it was identified that there would be little advantage for owners to take on additional land. Additionally the timeframe was another constraint, which required a full commitment from Council to progress closure, with consent from the Minister for Lands. This process, outlined in the Procedure for the closure of pedestrian access ways (October, 2009) requires:

Reasons for requesting the disposal
Obtain consent from Western Australian Planning Commission
Referral to the public service authorities to confirm that no services are going to be affected with the proposal
Details of the level of public consultation undertaken and results of that consultation
Signpost the area
Advertise in a local newspaper
Canvas nearby landowners
Minister for Department of Lands makes decision (2 or more years determination timeframe)
City purchase from Department of Lands for $500 or 5%, whichever is greater plus any statutory fees
Land sold to adjacent land owners

This test was undertaken by the City in 2015 and involved the distribution of letters to the 12 landowners adjoining the PAW, which resulted in nine responses; six in support, two with conditional support, one objection and remaining landowners did not respond. Therefore the test had 50% of support from landowners.

Council at its 23 February 2016 meeting considered a report on this outcome and resolved not the close the PAW and instead sought to pursue alternative measures to improve the environment of the PAWs.

In addition to the implementation of physical infrastructure and social initiatives, the City has been actively promoting and facilitating community development initiatives to provide support services to local residents such as sausage sizzles, children’s activities, live acoustic music and naming the park outside the Gowrie Community Centre.

From 2016 onwards, further larger scale events and activities were facilitated by the City. These have included:

Tree planting day where residents planted trees supplied by the City in one of the Karawara laneways
Picnic and play event to mark the delivery and opening of the new Central Playground
Native garden planting activity with resident involvement in the planting of a native garden at the entrance to a laneway on Gillon Street between Yallambee Close and Beenan Street
Summer splash event involving a water fight through the Karawara greenways with local families, WA Police, the local fire brigade, and St John Ambulance.

The location of where projects have been realised can be identified on the Spatial Local of Karawara Master Plan Projects map.

Project Name	Intent	Implemented	Unresolved
1 - Greenway Improvement	Improve greenways to provide space for resting, contemplation and basic infrastructure.	Seating, drink fountains and bin facilities Pop-up community games Patrolling to reduce motorbikes	Wayfinding markers project (a grant application was submitted but was unsuccessful. The City will attempt to source alternate funding if available.
2 - Central Playground	Improve the central playground to create a central meeting and multi-use area.	New playground established Renewal of existing pathways Installation of new pathways CCTV and lighting upgrades	Nil
3 - Community Initiatives	Foster community initiatives.	HOME Karawara facilitates community support programs e.g. Community dinners Herb garden	Nil
4 - Pedestrian Experience	Improve the pedestrian experience between Karawara and Waterford Plaza.	Shared use zone on Walanna Drive Improved underpass connection	Nil
5 - Connectivity	Increase connection between student residences, Curtin University and Karawara.	HOME Karawara Curtin University student projects	Nil
6 - Wayfinding	Improve wayfinding strategy (signage), heritage interpretation and Noongar naming.	Temporary Updated park signage	Develop wayfinding and heritage interpretation strategy.
7 - Habitats	Increase native habitats.	Native planting day: 72 new trees CCTV installation	Nil
8 - Amenity	Improve amenity at secondary hubs at: Curtin underpass and ‘gateways’ into greenways.	Design review of area Nature play incorporated into playground	Nil
9 - Aboriginal Recognition	Recognise the aboriginal community and heritage in Karawara.	HOME Karawara has assisted to foster a healthy, connected community in Karawara, including through Aboriginal recognition	Nil
10 - Test Laneway Closure	Test the closure of pedestrian access from Gillion Street and Jackson Road through temporary fencing.	Test closure of PAW Encourage ownership of greenways through planting	Nil
11 - Permeable Fencing	Investigate the opportunity to incorporate permeable fencing.	Edge treatment developed along edges including low planting	Test permeable fencing along rear property boundaries
12 - Karawara Underpass	Improve the Karawara underpasses. First priority in the underpass near Waterford Plaza.	Upgrade occurred	Nil
13 - Community Garden	Develop a community garden.	Herb garden realised	Nil
14 - Karawara Walking Network	Improve Karawara walking network including pedestrian experience, safety, connection to surrounding suburbs, transport links etc.	Pathway and lighting upgrades	Define a walking circuit/wayfinding strategy

News Listings

February 2015

City of South Perth awarded funding for CCTV project

Media Release 26 February 2015

The City of South Perth welcomes the State Government announcement for funding of $25,000 to support local crime prevention initiatives in the community.

Karawara Vision

December 2013

Karawara comes up with plan

Media Release 10 December 2013

In acknowledgement of its inclusive and diverse consultation process, the Karawara Public Open Space (POS) Masterplan has won the 2013 WA Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) award for excellence in the category of Public Engagement and Community Planning.

Karawara Vision

August 2013