BAYSWATER council has vowed to put pressure on the newly sworn in State Government to follow through on its $1.5 million pledge to help purchase Carter’s wetlands.
In its pre-election campaign, WA Labor promised to match City of Bayswater’s $1.5 million commitment, saving the privately-owned wetlands from clearance, after WA Planning Commission-approved (WAPC) works were halted in July last year.
At a meeting held this week, council moved to write to the new Premier and Planning Minister to seek the funding to purchase lot 14, 128 King William Street.
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READ NOWCouncillor Sally Palmer, who put forward the motion, said a statement with all councillors’ signatures would be a strong assertion.
“We’ve got to keep the bucket stirred,” she said.
Mayor Barry McKenna said he had already written to the Premier since the election and was meeting soon with Maylands MLA Lisa Baker to discuss the issue.
“We want to say ‘promises have been made, we will now be holding you to those promises’,” he said.
In August last year, the City wrote to the former State Government to request funding if the site became available for purchase, and in November council moved to continue to pursue the State Government for funding.
WAPC did not provide a decision on the City’s requests for funding, or the requested Metropolitan Region Scheme amendment and Planning Control area, before the Government entered caretaker mode.
At the weekend, environmental lobby group No Houses in Wetlands hosted a long table breakfast for supporters of the campaign.
Questions have been sent to Planning Minister Rita Saffioti.