PAULA SAMSON is a member of the Melville City Climate Action Network, which has forced Melville council to hold an electors’ meeting over its near-backflip over creating a park on the old senior citizens centre on The Esplanade.
IT is a very serious matter for a mayor or councillor to align themselves with a rescission motion to overturn a decision already made by council.
It would seriously erode public confidence.
The Department of Local Government’s Guide to Council and Committee Meetings says: “A decision of a local government to revoke or change an earlier decision may have serious legal implication for a variety of reasons, such as where the original decision has been implemented, or has already been communicated”.
The revised changes to the Canning Bridge Activity Centre Plan approved unanimously by council and including the two new parks has already been forwarded to the WA Planning Commission for approval.
The proposed rescission motion contained misleading and unsubstantiated statements.
Here are some examples.
• “This feedback has now been contradicted by further community consultation.” Not true! The only consultation by City officers was via feedback provided between August 16 and September 6, 2023. The results were made available to the public October 16 showing a strong support for a new park.
• “70 per cent of those surveyed did not want a playground or exercise equipment”. A truer statement is that 28.98 per cent said they have children. People may not use a playground but they still want a park.
• “Concern about the loss of parking spaces”. As discussed at the Agenda Briefing Forum there is an under-utilised multi-storey car park within a short distance. Current parking is taken up with tradies’ utes during construction. This will be freed up eventually. Private developers could put more parking in their buildings, and Uber or public transport should be encouraged. The only reason high rise has been allowed near Canning Bridge is because it is close to the train station. When the rowing pavilion was built, council told the Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions there was adequate parking in the area.
Singapore
• “Review the history of the site.” Its history has been clearly stated in all the City of Melville officers’ communication. 13 The Esplanade was for many decades a Senior Citizens Centre. The council was directed to investigate purchasing other suitable sites to provide public open space and was unable to find any.
Our councillors should look at the Singapore example: Singapore is a small, dense, island nation where 100 per cent of the population is urbanised. And yet, it is the greenest city in Asia. As Singapore’s population and economy grew, so did its green cover. It was about 36 per cent in the 1980s and it now stands at 47 per cent.
Instead of ‘Kicking the can down the road,’ 13 The Esplanade/56 Kishorn – already owned by the City – can be completed by the end of 2024.
A child that is 2 years old now will have access to a park by the time they are 3 years old, instead of living their early years without access to a park.
The river is not a friendly venue for young children’s recreation.
The riverbanks are eroding and not always available to walk on.
The pathway along the river is a shared bike pedestrian, which is not child or dog friendly.
This park will be a community friendly environment for residents, children, office workers and the many dogs now living in apartments
The nearest open space is the small Clive Street reserve some 900m away and Deep Water Point is 1.4 km away
People with a disability and the elderly can get the benefits of being outdoors without having to cross Canning Highway which is in parts is six lanes.