The sad vision of a barren urban wasteland devoid of trees, so eloquently described by your correspondent George Crisp (Letters, 22/12) also applies to Perth’s coastline.

Natural vegetated sand dunes are rapidly being replaced by roads and carparks.

Scarborough is a case in point, where the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority is planning new roads and parking north and south of Scarborough beach through Bush Forever designated sand dunes.

These plans ignore State and coastal planning policies that have bipartisan support and are in place to protect Bush Forever areas on the Swan coastal plain.

How is it that a State Government authority can ignore these policies and push ahead to build unnecessary and environmentally damaging roads and carparks in a regionally significant coastal dune system?

Is the MRA not bound by State planning policies?  Is the minister not prepared to implement the State Government’s coastal protection policies?

This is environmental vandalism at its worst.

Community outrage and opposition is growing to these plans to destroy what makes Scarborough and Trigg beach the most popular in the metropolitan area.

The MRA and Government should immediately look at alternative transport options for accessing Scarborough and Trigg that would enhance and not destroy the natural environment either side of the Scarborough redevelopment.

Robyn Murphy

The West Australian, December 23, 2016, page 46