The McGowan government has bowed to public pressure and dumped its plan to move Perth's only academically selective school to a high-rise city building.
Premier Mark McGowan and Education Minister Sue Ellery proposed to re-locate WA's sole academically-selective high school from its Roberts Road site to a 16-floor high rise in the CBD during WA Labor's election campaign.
The proposal has previously drawn criticism from different groups since its announcement, and many parents have expressed concerns about the high rise plan put forward by Labor.
But on Tuesday, the government announced a high school would instead be built alongside Subiaco Oval at Kitchener Park to take enrolment pressure off existing inner-suburb schools, and Perth Modern would remain as it is.
Related Content
Construction on the Subiaco school will start next year and will open in 2020 for Year 7 students, before expanding to cater for 2000 students to Year 12 by 2025.
Perth Modernian Society president Peter Farr said the McGowan government changing its mind was a "good outcome for democracy".
"I feel the old Modernians who went to war in the 1914-1918 war - 17 of them who lost their lives overseas would be particularly gratified today to know the school that has all those traditions is going to survive for another 100-plus years as a result of the magnanimous decision made by the government this morning," he told reporters outside Parliament House.
"The Premier (Mark McGowan) rang me last night very graciously and courteously to tell me what the decision was.
"It means the teaching staff will stay in place happy they can drive their car into the car park go straight to the staff room, go to their locker and go into the class and teach, which is exactly what they want to do."
City of Subiaco mayor Heather Henderson said the council would prefer Kitchener Park to be kept for green space.
"There is a shortage of sporting fields in the area and this space could meet this need for active recreation space," she told WAtoday.
"We welcome the government's announcement to create a new high school in Subiaco to meet the needs of Subiaco and the wider community, and we look forward to working with the state government to achieve this outcome.
"The Subiaco Oval precinct is an ideal location – well serviced by public transport and easily accessible from the north and south."
Mr McGowan previously claimed his government had a mandate for their high-rise school plan, but last month the opposition received a petition with 6000 signatures opposing it and repeatedly said they would congratulate the Labor government for admitting they got it wrong.
The government said on Tuesday that the Subiaco site was a better location than the previous government's plan to refurbish City Beach High School for 1600 students, even though it was also the more expensive option.
The new precinct will also include housing and mixed-use developments, and the retention of the Subiaco Oval playing fields.
The heritage-listed gates and playing surface of Subiaco Oval will be retained and some existing grandstand space will be offered as part of ongoing negotiations with the West Australian Football Commission.
As the original high-rise idea included a new and expanded Scitech, the state government will also work with Scitech to facilitate its relocation.
Mr McGowan said he had listened to the community and developed a new plan that still delivered a new inner city secondary school.
"Our new plan to transform the Subiaco Oval site into a community hub will create thousands of jobs and deliver a vibrant neighbourhood on the edge of the CBD," he said.
Education Minister Sue Ellery said the former Liberals' plans to build a school on a City Beach site was not suitable giving the inner-city suburbs were bursting at the seams.
"This school addresses the need for a secondary school in the booming inner city suburbs, rather than in the coastal area where population growth is much lower..
"We are responding to the enrolment demand by building a brand new secondary school - with outstanding facilities for 2,000 students - right in the middle of a big population and housing growth area," she said.
"Local intake areas will be adjusted, however families in existing local intake areas will have the choice to send their children to the new inner city college or existing local high schools."
Western Australia-based Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has expressed her support for keeping Perth Modern School in its present form
She tweeted: "Thank you to supporters and campaigners who fought so hard to protect one of WA's great schools."
With AAP
4 comments
New User? Sign up