Hundreds of residents in the small tourist town of Dunsborough in WA's south west have called for an end to local high-rise developments.
More than 500 people turned up to a rally at the weekend to call on Planning Minister Rita Saffioti to approve a new local planning scheme that would prevent future five or six-storey buildings in the coastal town.
Several high-rise retail and housing projects are being developed in the town after receiving initial approval from the local council.
To prevent future applications, the City of Busselton has now approved a planning amendment that limits building heights to three storeys in the Dunsborough town centre.
But the amendment needs final approval from the WA Planning Commission and Ms Saffioti before it can be gazetted.
Developments could ruin coastal feel
At the rally, locals carried placards emblazoned with slogans such as "High rise hell no" and "Fix this mess say 'yes' minister".
Greg Milner from the Dunsborough Yallingup Chamber of Commerce said the chamber was calling on the government to listen to residents' concerns.
"[Locals] fear that Dunsborough will be overrun by six-storey, million-dollar apartment blocks," he said.
Mr Milner said developments over three storeys could change the popular tourist town.
"Tourist spend nearly a billion dollars a year in this area and they visit here because of the ambience of the small coastal village that Dunsborough is," he said.
"Turning it into rows and rows of apartments is hardly what visitors come down here for. "
City of Busselton Mayor Grant Henley said the once-small town was now servicing around 10,000 people, which could triple during peak tourist seasons.
He said while some height and density in the town centre was required, it was important to listen to the community.
"We have seen that in other communities throughout Australia like Byron Bay ... where they have set height limits — which recognise the need for development but also respect the place and entity where it is built," he said.
Approved buildings struck 'appropriate balance'
In December, government planners gave the green light to a five-storey development on Dunn Bay Road in Dunsborough.
In approving the application, the Regional Joint Development Assessment Panel said the building "had an appropriate balance of future character and existing content".
It noted that while the local council was in the process of changing height restrictions, it "had not been adopted and is only in the process of being developed".
Mr Milner said the community had spoken loud and clear and it was time for them to be listened to.
"Ninety-five per cent of this community wants Dunsborough to maintain its coastal village atmosphere," he said.
A spokesman for Ms Saffioti said it would not be appropriate to comment on the matter at this stage in the approval process.
