Paving Bayswater: by arrangement from Landsdale
Bayswater is about 13 km from IBP Paving's base in Landsdale, which puts it at the outer edge of where we work. We take jobs here by arrangement, so the first step is to send us the job details and some photos; we then confirm whether we can do it and when. On the jobs we take, we lay driveways, courtyards and paths in brick and stone and install soakwells and drainage, with a lifetime workmanship warranty and over 20 years of experience behind the work.
Sand on the rise, silt and peat by the river
Bayswater's ground is not uniform, and the difference shows up in the drainage. The higher land is the Bassendean Dunes, leached white to grey sand with groundwater around 10 m down, and on those lots soakwells drain easily. Towards the Swan River it changes. The Bayswater wetlands hold pockets of peat, heavy clay and river silt, and the low river land that once flooded seasonally was used as landfill from 1961. Near the estuary, the Groundwater Atlas also notes a saltwater wedge within about 250 m of the river.
So for a riverside lot we probe before we price. If the ground takes water, soakwells are sized as normal. If it is silty, peaty or close to groundwater, we may use wider, shallower units or bring in grated drains to move water to the better ground, and a deeper compacted base keeps the paving level on softer subgrade. Ocean salt is not a factor; the coast is around 14 km west.
The council's soakwell sum, crossovers and verges
The City of Bayswater requires stormwater to be contained on site, with downpipes taken to soakwells of adequate combined volume. The volume is impervious area in square metres times 0.0125, giving cubic metres and retaining 12.5 mm of rain; roofs, paving, driveways and patios all count. A lot with 300 square metres of hard surface therefore needs 3.75 cubic metres. Our soakwell requirements page compares that rule with other Perth councils.
Crossover works need approval before they start and follow the City's specifications. The City subsidises one standard crossover per lot in line with its fees schedule, including rebuilding a bitumen crossover in concrete or brick paving, and does not maintain or subsidise bitumen. Footpaths come first, in plain grey concrete, and the City may cut through decorative crossovers such as exposed aggregate to build them.
On the verge, brick paving up to 30 per cent of the area outside the driveway and path is deemed to comply with trees able to shade it, and more than 30 per cent hardstand must allow for stormwater, with concessions possible for extra soakwells. Synthetic lawn is not permitted, raised beds are capped at 0.35 m and kept 0.5 m from footpaths, crossovers and street trees, and existing street trees cannot be removed without written approval, with works near them following AS 4970-2009.
Source: City of Bayswater, Clearance of Subdivision Conditions Information Sheet; Crossovers Policy; Street Verges Policy.
Character Protection Area: plans, widths and trees
One of the City's three Character Protection Areas is in Bayswater; the other two are in Maylands and Mount Lawley. New residential development inside a Character Protection Area needs a landscape plan for the front garden that identifies the paving materials, so the paving choice is part of the application rather than an afterthought.
In a Character Protection Area, single garages and carports are served by one crossover no wider than 3.0 m, and doubles by one no wider than 4.8 m. Street trees are to be retained, or replaced to the City's satisfaction.
Source: City of Bayswater, Character Protection Areas Policy.
From the 1885 estate to today's split lots
The Bayswater Estate was subdivided from 1885. The suburb grew after the Midland Workshops opened in 1904 and again in a housing surge after World War II, and it remains mostly low density detached homes. Subdividing older lots is now common, which produces two kinds of work. The new home at the back needs a driveway, paths and soakwells sized from scratch. The original house in front often needs its own driveway replaced and a new courtyard where the back yard used to be.
Baigup Wetlands, Bayswater Brook and nearby suburbs
The 16.4 ha Baigup Wetlands are one of the last natural bushland areas on the Swan River estuary, and Bayswater Brook, channelled in the 1920s, drains into the Eric Singleton Bird Sanctuary. Around Bayswater we also cover Embleton, Maylands, Bassendean, Eden Hill and Morley; the complete list is on areas we service.
