The Supreme Court of the state of Western Australia has rejected the appeal filed by Perth residents against the approval of the expansion of the local Crown Casino, yet another property owned by business magnate James Packer.
Residents of Burswood, the Perth suburb where the controversial venue is located, claimed that the decision for the addition of a 500-room hotel was not valid, as it was not approved in the manner such developments should be.
However, about a year ago, their appeal was rejected by the highest court of Western Australia on the grounds that the construction of the property was subjected to a law which passed back in 1985. The legislation in question was known as the Casino (Burswood Island) Agreement Act and it gave the green light to the establishment of the original Burswood hotel and casino venue.
Under this law, the gambling facility was not supposed to be subjected to the traditional planning rules and it was up to the Minister for Racing and Gaming to decide as to whether any developments at the casino site should be permitted.
The matter was brought to the Court of Appeal, but it has recently been rejected.
Chief Justice Wayne Martin pointed out that the claims of Perth residents were contrary to what was stated in the above-mentioned Casino Act.
Jeff McCann, who is Chairman of the so-called Burswood Residents’ Action Group, called the court’s ruling an undemocratic one. He also commented that the Casino Act in question had been compiled quite some time before residential buildings began to be established in the suburb.
Mr. McCann told local media that turning to this legislation deprived residents of their right to share whether they approve of the construction of certain types of properties in near proximity to where they live.
Mr. McCann also commented that if it was not for the Casino Act, residents of Perth and Burswood, in particular, would be able to discuss with local government any potential developments on the territory of the suburb and to share their concerns about what effects such projects might have on the area.
The establishment of the 500-room hotel has already begun. The property was estimated at AU$570 million and is to be located partly where the original complex stood and partly on land that was purchased by Crown Resorts back in 2013. As mentioned above, residents of Burswood argued that no town planning consent was obtained before the beginning of the construction process.
