New suburb of Lake Coogee proposed in Munster carve up

A NAME change for portions of Munster has again gone before the City of Cockburn, six years after the initial push.

In December 2012, council passed a proposal to redraw Munster’s boundaries in order to create a new suburb of South Coogee.

However the Geographic Names Committee (GNC) knocked back the name change, citing an identically named suburb in New South Wales as the reason it did not adhere to their guidelines.

Recently the South Coogee Community Association (SCCA) has resurrected the issue, this time with the proposed name Lake Coogee for the portion of Munster south of Mayor Road.

The Munster carve up could also include the portion south of Frobisher Avenue being renamed Henderson, and the portion east of Rockingham Road joining Beeliar.

SCCA steering committee leader Firdause Behramkamdin said the area around Lake Coogee had historical links to South Coogee and Coogee from the late 1800s.

“The early settlers in this region have lived for more than 90 years in this area who associate with the name South Coogee,” he said.

“It is important to identify and resonate with the original name, this area was always associated with the name Coogee and the locals want this reinstated.

“SCCA along with City of Cockburn ran a petition about the name change, and this alternative name Lake Coogee has received an overwhelming support from the local community in the region.”

At the November 8 council meeting, councillors voted to send the proposal to the GNC for consideration.

Councillor Chontelle Sands was the only one to vote against the proposal, saying Beeliar residents should have been involved in the consultation process.

“Basically we’re saying that we agree to this despite not consulting with the Beeliar residents,” she said.

“It directly impacts on their land and the size of their suburb. They deserve to have their say on this.”

Councillor Kevin Allen said if the GNC approved the name change the proposal would then go for community consultation.