WANNEROO councillors have supported the purchase of a section of a Marangaroo park.
They voted to excise a 326sq m portion of John Moloney Park at their August meeting, with the land to form part of the area proposed for lease to Marangaroo Family Centre.
A report by the City said the section was previously fenced off by the centre without formal approval, preventing public access, and wanted to incorporate this in the lease area.
Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE
Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.
READ NOWThe centre was leased to the Department of Communities (DOC) for $1 annually between 1991 and 2012, and has since been rented on a monthly basis.
Last year, the State Government decided to stop leasing properties for providing subsidised accommodation to community groups and childcare providers as of June 30, 2018 so the City will lease the site directly to Marangaroo Family Centre.
The report described the additional area as a “long standing historical land anomaly”.
“Historically, the DOC has continually advised the City that it would not remove its playground infrastructure from the excision area and realign the fence line to the correct boundary alignment,” it said.
“It previously notified the City that it would close the centre should it be formerly (sic) requested to operate purely within the existing boundary parameters…claiming that the centre cannot operate successfully without a sufficient play area for its users.”
The City plans to purchase the area from the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage for more than $3000 and transfer more than $60,000 to a trust fund, and spend $10,000 for costs associated with the process.
At the same meeting, councillors endorsed amending the district planning scheme to reflect the site amalgamation.