A warm hello to everyone as the weather cools in Perth, and a warm welcome to those of you who have signed this petition since my last update.
This week, the City’s quarterly Talk About Subi booklet delivered to households contained a brief update about the Civic Precinct project. Essentially, work has continued behind the scenes as Councillors work with staff, the design team and cost planners to formulate “options” that respond to the community feedback.
Questions remain as to whether, and if so to what extent, Council will take into account the negative sentiment expressed by this petition and the other related online petition. Will one of the “options” be to not proceed at all?
Will they analyse the feasibility of other sites for the City’s administration building and refurbish the old council offices (seen in the photo above) for community use? There are certainly community groups out there looking for a home.
It has been said that the old council offices are derelict. But they can’t be that bad, as the building was used as the “pop-up” library for about 18 months a couple of years ago while the City’s library was being renovated, and more recently in February, for indoor displays and presentations to the public as part of the City’s Walking Tours of the Gardens.
To date, the two online petitions have produced just over 1,730 signatures against the proposals. In March, the City’s consultants reported that there were 1,035 submissions in total received during the public consultation period. They calculated that 37% expressed negative sentiment, but that figure did not include the online petitions. Had they been included, arguably, the negative sentiment would have been greater.
One of the key points of contention is whether there will be a loss of green space if the City’s original concept plans go ahead. The photo above shows what is there now, in one part of Rankin Gardens. My previous update showed the architect’s concept drawing of (roughly) the same area. Recently, the City has said there will be more green space, but based on what has been presented publicly so far, it is difficult to see how.
It may be some time before a report is presented to Council with recommendations about the project. When the time comes, Councillors will vote on the recommendations and make a final decision.
For now, we sit and wait.
I will provide further updates as things progress. In the meantime, thank you for your continuing support.