A SPECIAL meeting of electors has voted for Melville council to stick with plans to create two parks in the Canning Bridge precinct.

Monday’s meeting was attended by just over 100 residents, and was forced on the council after a rescission motion flagged dropping the parks because they are on prime land in a development area and could have provided a more lucrative return to the council than open space.

But there were only a couple of dissenting voices as the electors passed three motions calling on the council to approve a budget and concept plans at its May meeting, convert the land to open space, and acknowledge the “significant distress and confusion” the near-backflip had caused.

The Melville City Climate Action Network spearheaded the campaign to get the electors meeting, and chair Ian Peacock told councillors the turnout showed overwhelming support for the parks.

Deferred

“Despite the construction of hundreds of dwellings in the Canning Bridge area precinct, there is currently no public open space,” Mr Peacock said.

“We are extremely concerned that the decision for funding of the park at 13 The Esplanade was deferred until May.

“The provision of POS in the area is so urgent, the conversion of this site to a park should be happening right now.”

Mr Peacock said there had been extensive work leading up to the release of the park designs in September last year.

“Despite considerable expenditure by council, extensive consultation, and the overwhelming support of the community, newly elected council members led by councillor Scott Green decided they could do better for the community.

“He raised a last-minute rescission motion signed by four councillors and the mayor.

“Thankfully due to public uproar, this rescission motion was withdrawn before the February 20 ordinary meeting of council.”

Mr Peacock said the last year had been the hottest and driest in years, and just when Melville needed its tree canopy, it was being “decimated” by infill.

“The thousands more people living in the area need access to green open space, and yet they still have no park.”

Mount Pleasant resident Olivia Abrugiato grew up in the area and now lives with her family in the Canning Bridge precinct and says she’s seen three high-rise apartment towers go up neraby and three more on the way.

“When the site was advertised as becoming a park last year, we were so excited to finally be getting a playground within walking distance of home,” Ms Abrugiato said.

“To us, it represents so much more than just a playground and a bit of grass.

“It is a place we can meet with our friends to enjoy a coffee and chat in peace while the kids run around and play.

Betrayal

“Regardless of your personal opinion on the park, I’m sure you can understand that I and many other local residents were disappointed and angry to find out that council was now trying to overturn approval for the park.

“It felt like a betrayal.”

Rosemary Waldron-Hartfield sat on the community reference group which reviewed the Canning Bridge Activity Centre Plan and says providing parks was intertwined with both the plan and the evolving vision for the precinct.

“The Canning Bridge Precinct Vision of 2011 described as key elements the creation of a town square and central community hub; and increasing the size of the foreshore recreation areas in the precinct,” Ms Waldron-Hartfield told the meeting.

“However, no town square and no central community hub has eventuated, and it is just not feasible to increase the size of the foreshore – so these elements of the vision remain unfulfilled.

“So despite the progress made in the delivery of the high rise developments foreshadowed in the [Canning Bridge] Masterplan, there has been no progress whatsoever in the provision of open space,” Ms Waldron-Hartfield said.

by STEVE GRANT