- Planning and Lands Minister excises portion of reserve to enable creation of park next to children's hospice
- Perth Children's Hospital Foundation is set to transform shrubby and sandy area into public park for patients, families and the wider community
- Decision continues Cook Labor Government's support for Western Australia's first and only purpose-built facility providing respite and palliative care for children
Planning and Lands Minister John Carey has approved the excision of a portion of land in Swanbourne to enable the creation of a public park next to Western Australia's children's hospice.
The decision will allow Perth Children's Hospital Foundation (PCHF) to create a park next to Boodja Mia, the Noongar word for Sandcastles, which will be Western Australia's first purpose-built respite and palliative care facility for children.
The land is not treed and has not been maintained in any meaningful way.
PCHF will spend $4 million to rehabilitate the land and the park will be open to the public aswell as utilised by patients and families.
The excision of the 3,000 square metres of land at Allen Park will be put before Parliament on the next sitting day, where both houses will have 14 days to pass a disallowance motion.
If no such motion is passed, the excision will be able to proceed.
The reserve's Management Order will be for management by the Child and Adolescent Health Service.
Boodja Mia is being delivered through a partnership between the Child and Adolescent Health Service and PCHF, with construction well underway.
The approval of the excision comes despite opposition from the City of Nedlands, who also voted to oppose the children's hospice development.
As stated by Planning and Lands Minister John Carey:
"The decision to excise this land will allow the Perth Children's Hospital Foundation to invest in a park for hospice patients, families and the wider community.
"The park will be an oasis for children and families at the most difficult point in their lives and will also benefit the wider community.
"The Cook Government is continuing to back Boodja Mia, despite opposition from the City of Nedlands."
As stated by Perth Children's Hospital Foundation chair Ian Campbell:
"The PCH Foundation could not have created the WA Kids Hospice and the new park without the steadfast support of the WA Government from the moment the project was first conceived and dreamed of.
"The PCH Foundation is deeply appreciative of the opportunity to work with the community to rehabilitate this long-neglected land, transforming it into a healthy new green space of native vegetation to improve the lives of very sick children, the whole community and native wildlife."
