While a Heads of Agreement existed between the Town, West Coast Eagles and the Perth Football Club, last night’s decision, which is a significant milestone in the overall project, formalises the relocation decision for the West Coast Eagles.
Earlier this year Mayor Vaughan maintained that the community would be consulted throughout the project and that Council would take that feedback into consideration when making major decisions.
“Last night’s decision by Council was firmly based on feedback from the community which has been robust and informative,” said Mayor Vaughan.
Given the importance of the project to the community, consultation on what is referred to as the Major Land Transaction Plan was extended further than legislative requirements and included:
• A community question-and-answer open day at Lathlain Park
• A mail-out to nearby residents and landowners (~2,500 information packs posted)
• State-wide notification (The West Australian) and local notification (Examiner / Southern Gazette) of the Major Land Transaction Plan in newspapers
• Electronic copy of the Major Land Transaction Plan available via the Council website
• Electronic social media distribution and awareness of the Major Land Transaction Plan and submission period
• Copies of the Major Land Transaction Plan available at all Council Buildings (Administration Office, Leisurelife, Aqualife, Library)
• Hard-copy and electronic lodgement of submissions
• Point-of-contact representative of Council staff to answer phone, counter and email enquiries to assist community members with lodging submissions.
“The Town received 39 submissions and lots of face-to-face and social media discussion,” said Mayor Vaughan.
“In addition to this consultation period a community forum, attended by 100 – 150 people, was held at Lathlain Park back in August to seek early input from local residents and landowners.”
The Town, West Coast Eagles and Perth Football Club are committed to a tripartite approach to the project with an overarching focus on linking physical and mental health with community outcomes.
“The Council is keen to ensure broad and long-lasting community benefits from this project and is confident this can be achieved.”
The majority of submissions received were supportive of the proposal. There were some concerns raised, particularly regarding traffic and parking impacts.
“The Town is confident that the areas of concern raised in some of the submissions can chiefly be resolved or eased, through subsequent design, planning and approvals stages,” said Mayor Vaughan.
The West Coast Eagles are delighted with the outcome from last night’s meeting and it is a significant step forward in the club’s plans to relocate to Lathlain Park.
“This has been a long process and while there is still much work to be done before we are physically located at Lathlain Park, this decision is a very positive step forward,” said West Coast Eagles Chief Operating Officer Richard Godfrey.
“Through our search for a suitable location for new training and office facilities we undertook a thorough and exhaustive search of the metropolitan areas. We settled on Lathlain Park for a number of reasons, not the least being the enthusiasm of the Town of Victoria Park and the Perth Football Club.
“A unanimous decision from Council last night further galvanised this relationship and we look forward to continuing to build the partnership with the Council, Perth Football Club and the local community, who have also embraced this concept.”
The Perth Football Club also expressed their delight with the decision.
“The Perth Football Club is pleased with the outcome of the proposal to relocate the West Coast Eagles to Lathlain Park and we look forward to working with the Town of Victoria Park and the Eagles to achieve a first-class home for our club, the Eagles and the community facilities," said Vince Pendal, President of the Perth Football Club.
The next steps are preparation of the lease which will occur during the first half of 2014, with a detailed site design and planning processes to follow in late 2014.
