Save the Urban Wetland at Perth Cultural Centre
Save the Urban Wetland at Perth Cultural Centre
The issue
NEW 2024 UPDATE
New parliamentary e-petition closing 28 November 2024
As you may have heard, WA Premier Roger Cook announced that the urban wetland will be demolished despite a significant increase in funding for green space in the Perth Cultural Centre redevelopment area.
While this is a win for some, it is not what we want.
We want the State government to save the current urban wetland.
If it's an impossible task, we want it replaced with an urban wetland of equivalent or greater value.
What's equally important is to harness the power of social media by telling Premier Roger Cook on his Facebook post that you want the wetland to stay.
You can also write an email to his office about this issue (copy and paste template at the bottom of this page).
Thank you for you continued support.
PS- we have an educational event about the wetland coming up in early December 2024 so please keep a look out for details
PREVIOUS 2023 UPDATE
Meeting with advisors from Department of the Premier and Cabinet on 26 Oct 2023
Mandy Bamford provided the following update regarding her recent meeting with some advisors from the DoPC:
Thank you to everyone who has been contacting the Minister's Office. When I spoke with them, the officers said that they have received a lot of correspondence and the Minister is aware of the concern of the public.
The wetland is leaking quite badly so they need to stop the leak. The planned redevelopment is only Stage 1 of the whole project so they won't know the details of any future stages until the completion of Stage 1, so if the existing wetland is taken out, they won't be able to commit to a new wetland in the future, although one could be part of future stages if there is budget.
Since this meeting, members of the public have provided information about the build up of bulrush at the rear of the wetland, which may be acting as a syphon and causing the leak. This happens if the bulrush isn't kept clipped back at the back of the wetland. This might be an easy fix, without needing to drain the wetland. If this works, then it might be possible to just install a beautiful walkway over the existing wetland for connectivity between Beaufort and William Streets, with minimal modification.
We will continue to campaign for the Minister to consider this option.
In future stages, perhaps recycled water, or the groundwater that is currently pumped into the river could be used to create a state-of-the-art, biodiverse city space with water filtered through the wetlands and used to water the lawns - low cost, low energy and low or no use of scheme water - let's keep thinking green!
What the People Want
1) Retain, maintain, and incorporate the Wetland into the PCC rejuvenation plan; or
2) If demolished, build an equivalent or more substantial Wetland space incorporated into the new PCC rejuvenation design with careful relocation of the current ecosystem.
The Situation
The Perth Cultural Centre (PCC) connects the Perth Train Station and the entertainment district of Northbridge. It is described by Development WA as “the cultural heart of the city”.
Within this cultural heart lies a Wetland established in 2010. A 4-year fauna education program enlisted children to populate it with critter residents. The Wetland is now home to permanent breeding populations of 3 species of native frogs, aquatic invertebrates, pygmy perch, and dragonflies. It has even hosted shy wetland birds such as the Buff-Banded Rail and Little Grassbird.
Other than being a home for urban nature with its associated benefits for human health, it is an outdoor classroom, an entertainment venue, and a reflective meeting spot for visitors, families and city workers. In short, the Wetland is an environmental design success, with self-sustaining benefits in the social, visual, cultural, and ecological spheres.
This area is due for a $35 million rejuvenation. The initial 2022 Masterplan released by Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries WA highlighted the importance of water, the Wagyl (rainbow serpent), and incorporated elements of Wetland in its design philosophy.
However, a sneak peek into the updated 2023 design as reported by an ABC News article dated 5 September 2023 revealed that “there will be no new wetland within the Perth Cultural Centre rejuvenation project”. Instead, it would be replaced with pavement for a thoroughfare to Beaufort Street.
This Wetland is now in danger of demolition. We need your support in its preservation.
Watch!
Check out this video of the community involvement in the establishment of the wetland
https://youtu.be/8WM3-jYQGBQ?si
Listen!
In the latest ABC gardening radio show Roots and Shoots (Saturday, 23 Sept 2023) , ecologist Mandy Bamford talks about why preserving this Wetland is important for all!
Mandy's discussion starts at around the 34 mins 45 secs mark!
https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/rootsandshoots/roots-and-shoots/102867712
Notice!
If you have any picture contributions of the flora and fauna captured in the wetland that we can use in our campaign, please feel free to email urbanwetlandpcc@gmail.com
Strengthen Your Cause By Writing A Strongly Worded Letter to Premier Roger Cook
We have written to Premier Roger Cook about our opposition to the demolition of this Wetland and SO CAN YOU (so should you, really).
His email address is:
wa-government@dpc.wa.gov.au
kwinana@mp.wa.gov.au
Here is a copy and paste email for your convenience:
Dear Premier,
We are shocked and angered to learn that the Perth Cultural Centre Wetland will be removed as announced by the State Government on social media in September 2024, despite a significant increase in funding for that redevelopment project.
This urban wetland has involved so many community members in its creation and is loved by many layers of the Perth Community.
The wetland should be repaired and retained, or if repair is not possible, a replacement wetland should be incorporated into the redesigned space, as the public was led to expect.
Twelve years ago, thousands of people were involved in a series of activation events to help bring the wetland into being, to populate it with aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates; geckoes, skinks, and two of the three frog species that now live there. We hear the Clicking Frogs, the Motorbike Frogs and the Slender Tree Frogs.
We bring our children to spot them, to learn their different calls and to build a love and respect for nature. We love that this wetland provides these animals with habitat.
Science tells us that we need biodiverse green spaces in urban settings for human mental and physical health and to reduce the heat island effect at a time when our climate is warming. We now know better than to want cities dominated by paving and asphalt.
It is a much loved, thriving ecosystem which is the focus of lunch breaks, school visits, a unique venue for events and quiet moments in a busy day. It has received design awards and is regularly mentioned in national and international discussions on best practice environmental engagement and urban biodiversity.
The wetland contributes to the character of WA's cultural centre in a way unique to Perth that no other city in the world can claim. In the short time the wetland has been present, the way it has framed the Cultural Centre and tied it to the very identity of the WA landscape has made it a defining part of our cultural image both to residents and tourists.
Plus this stance to preserve the wetland is supported by a large number of concerned citizens who are signing these petitions to this effect (over 2600 signatures so far):
- Petition 1- https://chng.it/tzfRw2bx4k - over 200 signatures
- Petition 2- https://chng.it/cRTrNjkxLJ - over 2400 signatures
Yours Sincerely,
A concerned member of the community
2,732
The issue
NEW 2024 UPDATE
New parliamentary e-petition closing 28 November 2024
As you may have heard, WA Premier Roger Cook announced that the urban wetland will be demolished despite a significant increase in funding for green space in the Perth Cultural Centre redevelopment area.
While this is a win for some, it is not what we want.
We want the State government to save the current urban wetland.
If it's an impossible task, we want it replaced with an urban wetland of equivalent or greater value.
What's equally important is to harness the power of social media by telling Premier Roger Cook on his Facebook post that you want the wetland to stay.
You can also write an email to his office about this issue (copy and paste template at the bottom of this page).
Thank you for you continued support.
PS- we have an educational event about the wetland coming up in early December 2024 so please keep a look out for details
PREVIOUS 2023 UPDATE
Meeting with advisors from Department of the Premier and Cabinet on 26 Oct 2023
Mandy Bamford provided the following update regarding her recent meeting with some advisors from the DoPC:
Thank you to everyone who has been contacting the Minister's Office. When I spoke with them, the officers said that they have received a lot of correspondence and the Minister is aware of the concern of the public.
The wetland is leaking quite badly so they need to stop the leak. The planned redevelopment is only Stage 1 of the whole project so they won't know the details of any future stages until the completion of Stage 1, so if the existing wetland is taken out, they won't be able to commit to a new wetland in the future, although one could be part of future stages if there is budget.
Since this meeting, members of the public have provided information about the build up of bulrush at the rear of the wetland, which may be acting as a syphon and causing the leak. This happens if the bulrush isn't kept clipped back at the back of the wetland. This might be an easy fix, without needing to drain the wetland. If this works, then it might be possible to just install a beautiful walkway over the existing wetland for connectivity between Beaufort and William Streets, with minimal modification.
We will continue to campaign for the Minister to consider this option.
In future stages, perhaps recycled water, or the groundwater that is currently pumped into the river could be used to create a state-of-the-art, biodiverse city space with water filtered through the wetlands and used to water the lawns - low cost, low energy and low or no use of scheme water - let's keep thinking green!
What the People Want
1) Retain, maintain, and incorporate the Wetland into the PCC rejuvenation plan; or
2) If demolished, build an equivalent or more substantial Wetland space incorporated into the new PCC rejuvenation design with careful relocation of the current ecosystem.
The Situation
The Perth Cultural Centre (PCC) connects the Perth Train Station and the entertainment district of Northbridge. It is described by Development WA as “the cultural heart of the city”.
Within this cultural heart lies a Wetland established in 2010. A 4-year fauna education program enlisted children to populate it with critter residents. The Wetland is now home to permanent breeding populations of 3 species of native frogs, aquatic invertebrates, pygmy perch, and dragonflies. It has even hosted shy wetland birds such as the Buff-Banded Rail and Little Grassbird.
Other than being a home for urban nature with its associated benefits for human health, it is an outdoor classroom, an entertainment venue, and a reflective meeting spot for visitors, families and city workers. In short, the Wetland is an environmental design success, with self-sustaining benefits in the social, visual, cultural, and ecological spheres.
This area is due for a $35 million rejuvenation. The initial 2022 Masterplan released by Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries WA highlighted the importance of water, the Wagyl (rainbow serpent), and incorporated elements of Wetland in its design philosophy.
However, a sneak peek into the updated 2023 design as reported by an ABC News article dated 5 September 2023 revealed that “there will be no new wetland within the Perth Cultural Centre rejuvenation project”. Instead, it would be replaced with pavement for a thoroughfare to Beaufort Street.
This Wetland is now in danger of demolition. We need your support in its preservation.
Watch!
Check out this video of the community involvement in the establishment of the wetland
https://youtu.be/8WM3-jYQGBQ?si
Listen!
In the latest ABC gardening radio show Roots and Shoots (Saturday, 23 Sept 2023) , ecologist Mandy Bamford talks about why preserving this Wetland is important for all!
Mandy's discussion starts at around the 34 mins 45 secs mark!
https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/rootsandshoots/roots-and-shoots/102867712
Notice!
If you have any picture contributions of the flora and fauna captured in the wetland that we can use in our campaign, please feel free to email urbanwetlandpcc@gmail.com
Strengthen Your Cause By Writing A Strongly Worded Letter to Premier Roger Cook
We have written to Premier Roger Cook about our opposition to the demolition of this Wetland and SO CAN YOU (so should you, really).
His email address is:
wa-government@dpc.wa.gov.au
kwinana@mp.wa.gov.au
Here is a copy and paste email for your convenience:
Dear Premier,
We are shocked and angered to learn that the Perth Cultural Centre Wetland will be removed as announced by the State Government on social media in September 2024, despite a significant increase in funding for that redevelopment project.
This urban wetland has involved so many community members in its creation and is loved by many layers of the Perth Community.
The wetland should be repaired and retained, or if repair is not possible, a replacement wetland should be incorporated into the redesigned space, as the public was led to expect.
Twelve years ago, thousands of people were involved in a series of activation events to help bring the wetland into being, to populate it with aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates; geckoes, skinks, and two of the three frog species that now live there. We hear the Clicking Frogs, the Motorbike Frogs and the Slender Tree Frogs.
We bring our children to spot them, to learn their different calls and to build a love and respect for nature. We love that this wetland provides these animals with habitat.
Science tells us that we need biodiverse green spaces in urban settings for human mental and physical health and to reduce the heat island effect at a time when our climate is warming. We now know better than to want cities dominated by paving and asphalt.
It is a much loved, thriving ecosystem which is the focus of lunch breaks, school visits, a unique venue for events and quiet moments in a busy day. It has received design awards and is regularly mentioned in national and international discussions on best practice environmental engagement and urban biodiversity.
The wetland contributes to the character of WA's cultural centre in a way unique to Perth that no other city in the world can claim. In the short time the wetland has been present, the way it has framed the Cultural Centre and tied it to the very identity of the WA landscape has made it a defining part of our cultural image both to residents and tourists.
Plus this stance to preserve the wetland is supported by a large number of concerned citizens who are signing these petitions to this effect (over 2600 signatures so far):
- Petition 1- https://chng.it/tzfRw2bx4k - over 200 signatures
- Petition 2- https://chng.it/cRTrNjkxLJ - over 2400 signatures
Yours Sincerely,
A concerned member of the community
2,732
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on 14 September 2023