Site meeting in works

A TIMBER town can also be a tourism town, National Trust of WA chief executive Tom Perrigo says.

Mr Perrigo said the Trust, which owned the Jarrahdale sawmill site, would back any decision the Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale made on the proposed mill.

Many of the objections to the proposal that the Shire received said a mill would harm the focus on and potential for tourism in the town, which was ‘no longer a timber town’.

Mr Perrigo said a mill would not conflict with education and recreation spaces.

‘The best use of a heritage location is what it was originally used for,’ he said.

Jarrahdale resident Ron Iannello said Wesfarmers had donated the 32ha site the mill is on to the Trust to establish a heritage park.

‘More than 14 years have since gone by and numerous undertakings by both the Shire and the National trust have failed,’ he said.

‘Jarrahdale Community Association, including myself and other interested parties, would like to meet with Mr Perrigo to constructively achieve some positive outcomes.’

Arrangements are under way for the meeting. Shire chief executive Richard Gorbunow said while council had spent a lot of money on studies to develop the park, for reasons outside of the Shire’s control, opportunities to develop the park had not come to fruition.