Some of the protesters at the site of the cafe on Sunday.
Camera IconSome of the protesters at the site of the cafe on Sunday. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Yanchep residents angered by closure of popular cafe

Lucy JarvisNorth Coast Times

THE Yanchep community has voiced objections to the closure of the Yanchep Lagoon cafe.

Amid uncertainty about whether it will reopen this summer, Butler MLA John Quigley said about 100 residents attended a protest at the Brazier Road site on September 25.

“The current operators have been told that they must not trade after the last day of their current five-year lease, which is Friday, September 30, and must have all equipment removed within an additional 14 days,” he said.

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“At the meeting on Sunday morning, I moved a motion that the City of Wanneroo refrain from closing the Yanchep Lagoon cafe until such time as a new cafe has been built.

“The resolution was carried unanimously by all those in attendance.”

During a confidential session at the September 13 meeting, Wanneroo council decided to reject all expressions of interest for a long-term lease and start a strategic review, offering six-month leases instead.

“The City of Wanneroo, at its last meeting, said that the cafe could be replaced by food vans in the parking area,” Mr Quigley said.

“The food vans will not replicate the current trading times – seven days a week from 7.30am to 7.30pm over the summer.”

At the Two Rocks Yanchep Residents Association meeting on September 26, resident Peter Stainthorpe voiced his disapproval of issues at Yanchep Lagoon.

“We will have no access to the beach, no cafe – I may as well move back to Nannup where I came from,” he said.

Wanneroo councillor Linda Aitken, who moved the motion at the September 13 meeting, said it allowed the City to undertake a review and find out what the community wanted.

“The expression of interest previously was for a five-year lease with a five-year option (to extend),” she said.

“It had the potential to lock the facility up for 10 years.”

Cafe operator Peter Morgan said the City could have given them a five-year lease as the building was structurally sound.

“The building’s life is 20 years,” he said. “There’s no reason to do anything at this particular time.”

Mr Morgan said the cafe employed six people, with staff numbers rising to 16 during the busier summer periods.

He said the six-month idea was “lunacy” as no one would invest in equipment to set up a cafe for such a short period.

TRYRA president Peter Wimsett said there was a feeling that something should be done, particularly on behalf of the 16 people who would not have jobs this summer.