Locals react to City of Swans plans to redevelop Midland Oval

  • 2018-02-01
A large graphic design project which sees Midland Oval transformed into an office and retail space has had a mixed response among locals in the City of Swan.

The design for the redevelopment has been said to pave over more than three-quarters of the old oval, which has previously been used for sporting competitions, festivals and recreational activities.

The oval was bequeathed to the residents of Midland over 100 years ago for use as a recreational space, and the locals are passionate about preserving the greenery. Greens MLC, Tim Clifford, states:

“Residents are angry that their rates are being spent on a development that doesn’t deliver, doesn’t make good business sense and doesn’t provide a healthy environment for the community.”

Over 60 residents of the local area recently attended a community picnic organized by Clifford to discuss concerns about the redevelopment plans.

There has been a large volume of graphic design work generated by this project, which has already been revised three times since 2015 in order to try to come closer to the public’s view of what the space should be. Local cricket greats Dennis Yagmich, Kevin Gartrell, Tony Mann and Keith Slater have added their voices to calls for the City of Swan to head back to the drawing board a fourth time.