THE City of Melville has delayed a decision to enter into a partnership with LandCorp to develop land at John Connell Reserve and the Melville Glades Golf Club in Leeming.
City officers had recommended that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the State Government agency be progressed but at last night’s special meeting of the council, it was decided it should be deferred.
The City has been looking to develop some of the land into housing for some time, although the officers noted that the scale and complexities of the project meant that partnerships had been looked at and LandCorp had presented to the council in December 2017.
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READ NOWJohn Connell Reserve had previously been used as a landfill site and the officers noted that it was contaminated and required remediation.
At the meeting, councillors asked City strategic property executive Jeremy Rae questions about the cost of remediation, how contaminated the site was and what would happen to the developed land.
Councillor Matthew Woodall asked why the MOU was being kept confidential and why it was not 100 per cent finalised before moving a motion to defer it until the February council meeting, which was carried seven votes to four.
The objections of the MOU include full engagement with the community in the visioning, planning and development process and environmental and social outcomes.
An alternative option to not partner with LandCorp would see the City remediating the John Connell Reserve land with $10 million floated as the possible cost.