The latest revision of the proposed boundaries for the WA local government amalgamations shows that the City of Stirling will most likely retain the Terry Tyzack Leisure Centre as well as most of its current share of Mount Lawley, leaving that suburbs heritage status and protections intact. Inglewood, Dianella Centro and other parts of Dianella east of Alexander Drive currently under Stirling now look certain to be moved to the new Morley Super Council.
The future implications for Inglewood’s heritage status, the plans to revamp Dianella Centro and the underutilised land around it and the proposed light rail project up Alexander Drive, which will now involve another local council, are unclear.
The decision to move Inglewood out of the City of Stirling, despite it being under the same heritage protections as Mount Lawley & Menora, seems a curious one. In an article published in the Guardian on Tuesday the 19th of November, Liberal MLA Michael Sutherland is said to have said that:
“…it makes sense for Menora and Mount Lawley to remain with Stirling, but geographically Inglewood and Dianella fit better with the greater Morley Council”.
Call me a cynic, but I think Michael Sutherland’s views have more to do with electoral boundaries (Inglewood being predominantly in the Labour held seat of Maylands) than “geographic” position – anyone looking at the revised council map can see that.
With the break from Stirling looking more certain, the best case scenario for Inglewood residents, in my view, would be for the new Morley council to retain the current heritage protections and take a similar approach to revitalising Inglewood’s section of Beaufort Street as was done in Whatley Cres and Eighth Ave in Maylands. Inglewood’s main street has been relatively neglected over the last fews years and despite its larger blocks, attractive tree-lined streets and character homes the suburb has lost some ground in its appeal compared to nearby suburbs such as Mount Hawthorn, Mount Lawley and North Perth.
For Dianella residents, the likelihood of further delays to the revamp of Dianella Centro and surrounding lands and unused buildings (or should I say carparks) are a blow. One of the reasons for the lack of progress on this project by Stirling was the tie in to the proposed light rail network – another project that has been continually pushed back by the current State Government. Methinks that the new Bayswater/Bassendean super council, which has vowed to place Morley at its strategic heart, will also be less interested in investing in and developing this retail precinct in preference to Galleria and its surrounds.
City of Vincent residents appear to have been successful with their “One in All in” campaign to be re-joined with the City of Perth, albeit it now being clear that the City of Perth is strongly against the move. The previous proposal of splitting the Beaufort/Walcott Street business and social hub between three different councils was total madness, in my view, and risked leaving the popular hub in planning and development limbo. The new plan is probably still one Council too many but at least not that different to the current scenario.
With councils still not happy and much talk in the press of rate hikes and service cuts as a result of the mergers it will be interesting to see how the final plans pan out over the coming weeks and months. We’ll continue to keep you updated on the issues as they arise.
To see the revised boundary maps, click here.
What do you think of the revised outcomes? Do they make more sense or are they just politically motivated? Who has got the best outcome and who is worse off? Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
