Mardella could become the home of the new Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) training academy.
The Shire of Serpentine and Jarrahdale has drawn up a draft master plan for council-owned land along Lampiter Drive, commonly known as Webb Reserve.
The plan indicates the site’s capacity to also accommodate a new works depot, and pound and waste facilities for the shire.
There would be further space in the 50.8ha site for a Mundijong Emergency Services precinct which would house the bushfire brigade, SES, and an Incident Control Centre.
Of course, the current plan is contingent on whether the state government is interested in building the DFES training academy there.
At its August 21 meeting council voted to put the plan in front of the minister before advertising it for public comment.
The McGowan government committed over $2 million in 2020 to draw up a business case for a new training academy and find a suitable site to replace the aging Forrestfield facility, which was built in the 80s.
Soils and groundwater at the current training academy were found in 2006 to be contaminated with PFAS chemicals. The site is still approved for use as a training academy but has been regulated under the Contaminated Sites Act 2003 since then.
DFES said they no longer use PFAS-containing Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) and haven’t since 2003.
