FREMANTLE council’s formal submission to the WA local government advisory board will largely mirror the WA government’s preferred proposal, which is to amalgamate with East Fremantle town council and expand south—gobbling up half of what is currently Cockburn—and east to Stock Road.

There are minor differences with the government’s proposal along boundary alignments.

The only councillor opposed to the submission, finalised Wednesday, was Hilton councillor Bill Massie who preferred North Lake Road as an eastern boundary: the council’s Stock Road submission will see O’Connor and Samson, both key suburbs in his Hilton ward, carved off into Melville in return for Fremantle getting Palmyra and Bicton.

Mayor Brad Pettitt told the Herald a North Lake Road boundary would have taken too many people out of Melville.

“Ultimately it’s a jigsaw puzzle and we are trying to fit the pieces together,” he said.

Cr Jon Strachan asked “what’s next?” and CEO Graeme Mackenzie replied officers would now work on options for ward boundaries in the bigger Fremantle, and get them back to the council by May.