The Opposition has declared the sensational backflip by the Transport Minister last week an admission of failure, after a controversial planning study of the intersection was dropped.
Mr Love said pressure applied by the Opposition during Question Time last week in relation the planning study helped the Minister see common sense and drop the proposed road changes.
“I raised this matter in Parliament to make the Minister see clearly that the way that this proposal was handled was flawed from the beginning,” he said.
“The community has understandably spoken out on their concerns about the plan to sink parts of the thoroughfare which would have also seen many homes affected.
“The dropping of this planned change for Charles Street is an admission of failure by the Minister.”
Shadow Planning Minister Neil Thomson said the Minister has continually side-lined the important Western Australian Planning Commission and put too much reliance on Main Roads in planning complex urban renewal projects.
“The Western Australian Planning Commission has traditionally been much better equipped at working with communities and local governments in complex urban settings, where projects require community endorsement,” he said.
“This is not the first time that the Minister has form in blind-sided or excluded local governments, noting the strong opposition to the proposal by the City of Vincent.
“The concerns of residents along Charles Street are understandable when such detailed designs were put forward without providing an opportunity for genuine input, giving the impression that the Minister’s mind had already been made up.
“The sad consequence for everyone in Perth is that an important project has now been delayed indefinitely because of the ham-fisted approach by the Minister.”
