An ongoing saga between the City of Nedlands and a luxury spa development has seemingly come to an end after the council accepted taking a $200,000 donation to fix the area’s drainage problem rather than money to build a car park.
During Tuesday’s council meeting, the council unanimously accepted the City of Nedlands should take a grant from the developers of the Tawarri Hot Springs project to fix long-standing foreshore and roadway drainage issues as part of mediation taking place in the State Administrative Tribunal.
The decision paves the way for Tawarri developers to pay the city $200,000 towards drainage works ahead of starting its $25 million project to build a luxury day spa and wellness centre on Dalkeith’s riverfront.
It comes after revelations last week that Tawarri was appealing a condition of its development approval that it fund a new carpark alongside the attraction, with the offer to contribute to the drainage fix put on the table instead.
The offer was viewed by some councillors at last week’s council agenda briefing session as being the cheaper way out, given the WA Planning Commission had previously prescribed a higher amount be paid to the City of Nedlands for a carpark.
“By accepting that money, there is an expectation that something will be done,” Cr Fergus Bennett said.
“If we are under obligation to solve that problem after receiving the $200,000, pretty much that entire $200,000 will be gobbled up solving the drainage problem and we’re still left with a (public) carpark that’s going to be used by Tawarri.
“It doesn’t seem like were getting a very good deal out of this.”
But City of Nedlands staff recommended the council endorse the deal as it was ultimately out of their hands and a decision for the tribunal.