Commissioner Linton Reynolds said the new memorial would accommodate 3000 people for events such as the Anzac Day service.
‘With the importance of Anzac Day growing every year, the crowd is not able to fit safely in the current War Memorial, situated as it is at the junction of two highways,’ he said.
‘Being an ex-serviceman, I have a personal understanding of the sacrifices our troops make in serving their nation.
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READ NOW‘I therefore understand how important it is that we provide a suitable location to recognise their service to the country and somewhere people can come to pay tribute to that service.’
Mr Reynolds said the war memorial would be finished in March 2015 for commission on the 100th anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli on April 25, 2015.
The existing memorial on the corner of Manning Road and Albany Highway would remain in place.
Slavin Architects director Murray Slavin said the new memorial was needed to provide more accessibility.
‘It is critical to have a new memorial as there is such a diverse population in Canning and we need to represent that,’ he said.
‘There are many smaller memorials but the beauty of this is that is central and is on an important site at the Civic Centre.’
Mr Slavin said the memorial would have a platform built over the water in the Civic Centre Park.
‘Building the memorial over the water represents all of Australia’s wars were fought overseas,’ Mr Slavin said. ‘The design reflects the nature of warfare and is inclusive of all areas of service from the different wars.’
Mr Slavin said the design was well received during public consultation.
‘We have the approval of the RSL, which is great, and they were very open-minded about it,’ he said.