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Methane concerns over foreshore cafe

Lauren PilatEastern Reporter

Bayswater Council voted at its April meeting to allocate $21,500 to a study investigating options for a cafe on the river foreshore.

City officers recommended that as part of the study, technical advice was required in regards to methane gas concentrations in the soil.

An existing report into landfill gas revealed the site produced methane concentrations of 20 per cent and that the gas, with oxygen, could accumulate in buildings and become explosive at volumes between 5 to 15 per cent.

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Councillor Terry Kenyon, who voted against the motion moved by Mayor Sylvan Albert, said spending money on a feasibility study that had already been done was unbelievable. He said that instead of spending $20,000-$30,000 on another report, the City should negotiate with the rowing club to use the clubhouse.

Cr Kenyon said the blueprint for a cafe at the clubhouse was already there because it had already been used as a kiosk.

"Council has gone back and forth on a foreshore cafe for 10 years," he said. "There's no need to reinvent the wheel."

Councillor Michelle Sutherland, who voted in support of the motion, agreed with Cr Kenyon, saying council had moved at a snail's pace and that using existing infrastructure should be considered.

A proposed cafe would require approval from the Western Australian Planning Commission, Swan River Trust, relevant State Government agencies and possible consultation with Aboriginal elders.