Midland Oval.
Camera IconMidland Oval. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Swan Mayor defends plans for Midland Oval redevelopment

Staff writerMidland Kalamunda Reporter

Cr Wainwright said the City had listened to community comments on the proposal and had made changes to address issues that were raised.

“There is a very small number of people in our community who are opposed to the redevelopment of the oval and they are critical of any plan that does not leave the oval intact,” he said.

“However, this is not reflective of the overall consultation we have had with our community.

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“For example, in the original public consultation which ran from August 1 to September 14 in 2015, the City received 20 objections and 40 letters of no objection or support.

“We have held public consultation to address concerns about the public open space and made changes to the plans to reflect what has been said to us during this period.

“Built form has been removed from the plans and more public open space has been included.

“At our recent community presentation, some attendees were asking for retention of the oval; however, others were happy with the proposed plans and expressed their support.”

Cr Wainwright said it had been almost 50 years since the site was identified as being inadequate and unsuitable for athletic and other sporting purposes.

“At no point in that time has the oval been earmarked for retention in its full or original form,” he said.

“Plans such as the 1997 Midland’s Revitalisation Charrette committed to less open space than that proposed within this plan, with only 1ha of public park identified in the Charrette compared to 1.7ha of public open space in the revised Midland Oval Redevelopment Masterplan now before the community.”

Cr Wainwright said criticisms that the City was focused on one area of Midland were “uninformed”.

“The City has carefully planned the redevelopment to integrate with other areas in Midland,” he said.

“For example our event space has been planned for the southern edge of the precinct, which will allow it to connect with recreational opportunities along Cale Street.

“The City is also supportive of the old town centre and I can assure those who have concerns that we are also planning for positive outcomes for this part of Midland.”