CockburnCoast - Western Australian Planning Commission

CockburnCoast
Figure 6.4: Bush Forever site 247
Eucalyptus decipiens and acacia woodlands are not well
represented in reserves on the Swan coastal plain (City of Cockburn
2001). These areas of vegetation would not be affected by the
proposed urban development as they are within Manning Park
Reserve, but the primary regional road reservation as defined in the
MRS would impact on the northern patch of acacia woodland.
Bush Forever condition scales have been used to assess the
condition of the vegetation at Manning Park and Catherine Point
Reserve. At Manning Park Reserve the vegetation condition of the
upland areas is poor due to the impact of disturbances including
powerlines, limestone quarries, fire and neglect. The cleared areas,
mainly on the western side of the ridge, make up approximately 22
per cent of the reserve and are considered degraded.
Approximately 14 per cent of the reserve in the south-east is weed
infested and its condition is recorded as good. The ridge areas,
which are largely inaccessible and make up 37 per cent of the
reserve, are considered to be in very good condition. A very small
area, about one to two per cent of the reserve, is in excellent
condition. The balance of the reserve within the formal zones was
not assessed for bushland condition (City of Cockburn 2001).
Beeliar Regional Park management
A large portion of the Manning Park Reserve forms part of the
Beeliar Regional Park. This area of Beeliar Regional Park is bound
by the proposed Fremantle to Rockingham Highway to the west,
residential development to the north and east, and the railway line to
the south. The alignment for the proposed other regional road,
which is a westward extension of Spearwood Avenue, is excised
from the Beeliar Regional Park.
Although the State government introduced legislation to give
regional parks legal standing and vesting in the Conservation
Commission in 1997, land tenure still varies. At the Cockburn coast
site, the Beeliar Regional Park is vested with the WAPC with the
exception of the southern portion of Manning Lake, which is vested
with the local government authority (Conservation Commission
2006). The City of Cockburn is currently responsible for the ongoing
management of the site with some assistance from the WAPC and
the DEC.
The Beeliar Regional Park Management Plan finalised by the
Conservation Commission in 2006 provides objectives and direction
for how the park should be managed.
82 district structure plan