Council Approves Wallcliffe House Scheme Amendment Initiation

The Augusta-Margaret River Shire Council voted last night in favour of the Scheme Amendment Initiation five votes to two.

There was good discussion on this high-profile concept, however the Councillors agreed that the proponent’s application should be considered and evaluated by the community and other agencies.

Property owner and proponent of the amendment, Alexandra Burt said “We are delighted with the result. My husband Julian and I are incredibly committed to, and invested in, Margaret River and we genuinely believe our vision for this property will bring great opportunity and kudos to our region.”

During her deputation, Ms Burt stated that “Julian and I don’t have a track record as developers – we have a track record as place-makers, place-sharers, sustainable growers, environmentalists, and as custodians of sites of great beauty, heritage and significance. It is this track record that we want to bring to bear on this unique project”.

The scheme amendment application is supported by an extensive body of technical reporting and analysis all of which has been made available at this early stage in the process. The next step requires the Amendment to be referred to the Environmental Protection Authority and Heritage Council for consideration. It can only proceed to public advertising once they have confirmed support to do so, at which time the Amendment will be advertised publicly for 42 days and referred to other government agencies for comment.

“There is a long way to go and many steps to follow to enable this project to be realised. We are very happy that we are able to continue to progress our vision of bringing such a special property into the public realm” said Ms Burt.