KARRINYUP / GWELUP Local Area Plan - City of Stirling

to air these sulfides oxidise and produce sulfuric acid, which
becomes a problem. Heavy metals (including arsenic, aluminium,
iron and other metals) and nutrients from the soil profile can then
be released from this acid. These contaminants released from the
soils can cause significant environmental harm such as
degradation of the natural environment and economic problems
such as loss of land productivity and damage to infrastructure.
Since the problem was first identified in 2001, the City has
undertaken significant research in comprehending the nature of
acid sulfate soils, the extent of their occurrence and development
of remediation strategies. Within the Karrinyup-Gwelup Local
Area, there have been acid sulfate soils identified around the
chain of wetlands within Gwelup.
Public Open Space
There are many parks and reserves across the Karrinyup-Gwelup
Local Area that provide for diverse functions. These spaces
include large active recreation reserves such as sports fields,
large and small areas of natural bushland, community social
spaces and smaller parks popular for children’s play, dog walking
and other passive recreation. The size, use and quality of these
spaces vary from reserve to reserve, as does the environmental
and social value of each space.
The City is facing increasing public pressure to improve the
standard of public spaces, with high community expectations in
some areas on the appearance of and facilities in parks. Yet
community demands for reticulation, mowing and lighting, or
facilities such as barbeques or tennis courts can not always be
met due to constraints such as budget limitations or bore water
licence restrictions. Increased pressure on public open space can
also threaten the environmental values of such spaces.
Lake Gwelup Reserve
There are also many different priorities throughout communities,
which affect how public open space is used. For instance, some
people may prefer more space for informal and passive activities,
whereas others prefer more space for organised sport. Others
may place greater value on natural, undeveloped and bushland
areas. As such, reserves need to be planned to appropriately
accommodate various needs and user groups.
The City has prepared a Public Open Space Strategy to ensure
a high quality and sustainable network of parks and reserves
across the City. The Strategy was adopted in 2008 and
establishes objectives for the amount and location of public open
space and the facilities different types of spaces require. The
Strategy will also consider the possibility of disposing some small
under-utilised spaces to fund improvement of other spaces, so
that appropriate parks in the Local Area can have more facilities in
addition to management and development practices. A review of
reserves in the Karrinyup-Gwelup Local Area will be conducted
after adoption of the Strategy, in order to develop a Public Open
Space Plan for the Local Area.
CITY OF STIRLING 35
KARRINYUP-GWELUP LOCAL AREA PLAN
February 2010