Construction will begin on a Langford park redevelopment delayed by the discovery of asbestos this month after the City of Gosnells approved additional funding to the project at last week’s council meeting.
The Koorlangka Waabiny park project has been in the planning stages since 2020, when the city consulted with Langford Aboriginal Association to redevelop Imber Turn Reserve, located directly across from the LAA premises on Imber Turn.
LAA and the city developed a concept plan, including provisions for future NAIDOC week events as well as community recreation, that was anticipated to cost $335,000 to construct.
That money was included in the 2020/21 budget, sourced from the Local Open Space Strategy reserve, however during detailed design investigations, staff discovered asbestos on the site.
The site has now been remediated, with the city set to recover the cost of the asbestos removal, $277,330, from the Department of Housing, who were responsible for the demolition of the pre-existing housing on the site.
However, the delay has caused the project cost to increase to $433,422, an additional $146,490 from the $259,138 included for the project in the 2022/23 budget.
While the officer’s report did present an option to exclude some elements of the design to decrease the cost, councillors unanimously voted for transfer the additional funds from the Local Open Space Strategy reserve, meaning the project will go forward with its intended design.
Gosnells Mayor Terresa Lynes wasn’t on council when the project was approved, but she said she was thrilled it was now moving forward.
“It’s clear this project means a lot to the Langford Aboriginal Association and our local community.
I’m very happy that it’s moving forward.
“The design is incredible and it will be a major asset to the city and a place we can all be proud of, and I am very happy it will go ahead as intended.”
She said construction of the park was anticipated to start in mid-September.
