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Mayor Defends Attributes of Attadale Foreshore Reserve

Published Date: 04 September 2008, 12:00 AM

City of Melville Mayor Russell Aubrey has dismissed claims by Roger Underwood (A tale of two city parks, Melville City Herald, p.5 30/8) that the City should develop the Attadale Foreshore Reserve into a landscaped environmental park.

Mayor Aubrey said the reserve along Burke Drive had been developed as an active grassed reserve because that’s what the local community told the City it wanted following extensive consultation.

In his Thinking Allowed column, Mr Underwood said the City of Melville should develop Attadale Foreshore Reserve like Booyeemba Park, in the City of Fremantle. 

He states that the Booyeemba Park has been “imaginatively and professionally landscaped, with winding paths, a lake, interpretive heritage and botanical information, sculptures and shady and interesting trees” while Attadale Foreshore Reserve was a “large flat paddock”.

Mayor Aubrey said just because both parks were once rubbish dumps and infill sites, it didn’t mean they could be compared with each other on the same level. “It is naive and short-sighted of Mr Underwood to do so,” he said.  “If you look at the foreshore around the City of Fremantle, I’m sure it is not all landscaped like Booyeemba Park. Additionally, if Mr Underwood cared to visit Piney Lakes Reserve, in Winthrop, he would see that Melville already has its own landscaped environmental park with all the attributes of Booyeemba Park and more, including a state-of-the-art environmental education centre.” 

Mayor Aubrey said the City of Melville had more than 200 parks and reserves as well as 18km of foreshore, which offered a variety of recreational opportunities for residents and visitors. “There are flat, grassed reserves such as Attadale Foreshore where people can walk their dogs and kick a ball around to the preserved natural bushland of Wireless Hill Reserve where people can enjoy the spectacular wildflower display in spring and have a picnic,” he said. “I have already received correspondence from a concerned ratepayer who wants Attadale Foreshore to remain as it is for its ‘dramatic’ simplicity, uninterrupted views and recreational opportunities.”

In the future, I would hope that Mr Underwood and the Herald make fair and realistic comparisons between the assets of different local councils,” Mayor Aubrey said.

 

Attadale foreshore

Posted by T. Penkethman at 08 September 2008, 12:56 PM
Thankyou Mr Underwood for your thoughts on how the foreshore in Attadale could be made into a wonderful place to visit rather than as it exists today. I know I won't be voting for Mr Aubrey in the next election. How can I support somebody that considers grass alone an assett ,how is grass environmentally sustainable Mr Aubrey? I see you support one persons thoughts Mr Aubrey stating 'dramatic simplicity, uninterrupted views' please what planet do you live on ! I think you really need to open your mind to the possibilities not sit back and support the closed minded occupants that only want to protect one thing- THEIR VIEW OF THE CITY. If only everybody that lived along the foeshore thought like Mr Underwood then maybe Mr Aubrey would have a different opinion because he certainly isn't listening to anyone else's. It makes me very sad for the City of Melville that Mr Aubrey  can't see what a beatiful place the foreshore of Attadale could become. T. Penkethman Landscape Design Student

Attadale Foreshore and the old Melville Primary school site

Posted by Tania Spencer at 09 September 2008, 08:07 AM
I thought that the article written by Mr Underwood was completely fair. The Attadale foreshore is very unimpressive. I can see the merit in having some open space to 'walk dogs, and kick the footy' however the area we are talking about is huge, and I feel both concepts could be accomodated. At the moment it is a very boring strip of land in front of some beautiful scenery. I agree with Mr Underwood when he commented that the lack of imaginative development was more to do with some powerful locals lobbying council against losing their views. Interesting that money and power always seems to win over.
As a ratepayer (rates which are getting dearer EVERY year above and beyond inflation) I would like to know what is happening to another park, the old Melville Primary school site. I have now left two messages at the planning department trying to get an answer, and conveniently no one returns my calls. We were originally told that this development would be completed in early 2007. Has anyone told Mr Aubrey we are now in LATE 2008? We have had no updates in any publications ie MOSAIC -just lots of 'fluffing about the edges' and it all seems to have gone very quiet. The site is an eyesore and has become a place for graffiti and other undesirable behaviour. I would like a meaningful response about an ACTUAL date we can expect to have a park for our kids.