The Western Australian Planning Commission’s Statutory Planning Committee did not rule out homes in the proposed Hammond Quarter expansion beside the Hammond Park Christmas tree farm. At its 8 October 2025 meeting, it required Amendment No. 1 to be modified and resubmitted, while its planning officer said the bushfire rating would affect the standard to which homes must be built.
What the committee decided
Qube Property and LWP Property Group sought approval to add land on Wattleup Road to the Hammond Quarter development. PerthNow reported that the already-approved structure plan was expected to provide 435 dwellings, with the additional land adding about 136 residential lots (PerthNow).
The WAPC Statutory Planning Committee considered Amendment No. 1 on 8 October 2025. It did not approve the amendment unchanged: the minutes say the committee required it to be modified in accordance with a schedule and resubmitted for further consideration (WAPC committee minutes).
The distinction matters for prospective residents and builders. WAPC planning officer Aiden O’Brien said the rating did not prevent dwellings from being built: “They are. It’s just a question of the standard to which those dwellings would need to be constructed,” PerthNow reported. The committee’s action concerned the amendment and the bushfire assessment, not a finding that residential development was impossible.
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Why the adjoining tree farm affects the assessment
The proposed residential land is beside Hammond Park Christmas Trees. PerthNow reported that the City of Cockburn and the Department of Fire and Emergency Services recommended treating the adjoining farm as “forest,” rather than “low threat (managed)” vegetation. The developers sought a Class B woodland classification and a Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) rating of 19; the committee minutes record this as the proponent’s request, not as a final rating assigned to every lot.
The committee said its recommendation was guided by expert advice. Deputy chairperson Ray Haeren told PerthNow: “I don’t believe it would be appropriate for us to make a determination outside of the advice that has been provided.” The minutes also note that a BAL review might be considered later through development and subdivision processes and after the City determines the retrospective application for the tree farm.
What a higher fire rating could mean for construction
A bushfire assessment can affect the construction requirements for homes. In this case, the planning officer described the issue as the standard to which dwellings would need to be constructed—not whether they could be built at all. The available sources do not specify building designs, materials, or requirements for individual lots, so they do not establish what a particular home would need to include.
Developers’ planning consultants argued that the higher rating would bring “significant and avoidable” construction and insurance costs, according to PerthNow. Neither the report nor the committee minutes provide a dollar estimate, an insurance-premium calculation, or a quantified estimate of fire likelihood or potential loss. The cost concern is the proponents’ position, not an independently measured outcome.
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The developer’s argument about how the farm might be managed
Stephen Carter of Qube Property argued that the agencies’ approach assumed a worst-case scenario in which the trees were left unmanaged. He said, “In our opinion this takes an unnecessary risk profile for a situation which is unlikely to eventuate,” PerthNow reported. Carter also argued that if the business closed, it would likely harvest and sell its final crop. Those are the developer’s predictions about possible future management and closure; the sources do not establish that either scenario will occur.
What was known about the farm’s approval
In a public response dated 13 October 2025, the City of Cockburn said it was still assessing a retrospective agroforestry application for Hammond Park Christmas Trees and had no indicative timeframe for a decision. The City also said the farm had not received prior approval for that land use (City of Cockburn response).
That is the status documented by the City in October 2025. These sources do not establish whether the retrospective application has since been determined, so its later status should not be assumed.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What remains unresolved
The amendment was sent back for modification and resubmission, and the committee left open the possibility of reviewing the BAL later through subsequent planning processes. The sources do not show the eventual wording of a revised amendment, a final lot-by-lot rating, or the outcome of the City’s retrospective application. Until those matters are established, the practical construction requirements for the proposed lots cannot be specified from this record alone.
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