❓ The Minister for Lands announces the WA government's purchase of the derelict Esplanade Hotel site in Albany for redevelopment, addressing a long-standing local concern and criticising the absent member for Albany.
AnsweredQoN 959Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ESPLANADE HOTEL SITE, ALBANY
959. Dr G.G. JACOBS to the
Minister for Lands:
Can the minister please update the
house on recent progress to the very vexed question pertaining to the old
Esplanade Hotel site at Middleton Beach, Albany?
959. Dr G.G. JACOBS to the
Minister for Lands:
Can the minister please update the
house on recent progress to the very vexed question pertaining to the old
Esplanade Hotel site at Middleton Beach, Albany?
AnswerView source ↗
Before I answer the question, I
would like to welcome to the public gallery Mr Yin and David Lui from Kimberley
Agricultural Investments, all the way from Kununurra. Of course, we are talking
about the other end of the state here. Also up in the public gallery is Mr Ni
from Shanghai Zhongfu. I welcome them to the Western Australian Legislative
Assembly.
I thank the member for Eyre for the
question and, of course, his interest. It is a shame the member for Albany is
not here, because he is a staunch critic of this government's activity
in trying to resolve the old Esplanade site in Albany which, as members know,
has been redeveloped about five times since the late 1800s. It has also been
neglected for the past eight years. It has lain desolate and has become quite
an eyesore; in fact, it has been the recipient of a number of people's
socks over a period of time. It is a huge concern for the people of Albany.
This morning the Premier and I announced that the state government has reached
agreement with the owners to purchase the Esplanade site, which is a fantastic
outcome. That follows the Premier's promise to the people of Albany
last year that the state government would do something about the problem.
Despite a lot of criticism from the member for Albany, who was critical about —
Several members interjected
The
SPEAKER : Member for Collie–Preston, I call you to order for the first
time. Member for Girrawheen, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr
D.T. REDMAN : Members opposite need to remember that this is a
privately-owned property. It was not an easy step for government to take.
Clearly, the government made a decision based on the public interest. I might
add that this calls out to the member for Albany to sort out all those issues
that are dear to him in Albany. The government has actually done something
about this through its development agency LandCorp. We have negotiated the
agreement to purchase the land for $7 million, with $3.3 million of the
purchase price coming from royalties for regions funds, and there will be an
additional $1.5 million of royalties for regions funds to improve the potential
of the site through road realignment and subsequent landscaping. The following
process will be a very strong engagement with the City of Albany and, of
course, the people of Albany to ensure that what has historically been the
jewel in the crown in the Albany community will have a chance of becoming the
jewel in the crown once again. I would love to have a question from the member
for Albany, but unfortunately he is not here. This government intervened and
supported calls from the local community to do something about an eyesore that
has been there for some time.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Bassendean, I call you to order for the first time. Member for
Collie–Preston, I do not want to hear from you again.
Mr D.T. REDMAN :
This government has been committed to resolving the issue, and it is now
active. We look forward to a site that will hopefully have a level of mixed
development, including commercial and residential, and that over time will
become the jewel in the crown for Albany.
would like to welcome to the public gallery Mr Yin and David Lui from Kimberley
Agricultural Investments, all the way from Kununurra. Of course, we are talking
about the other end of the state here. Also up in the public gallery is Mr Ni
from Shanghai Zhongfu. I welcome them to the Western Australian Legislative
Assembly.
I thank the member for Eyre for the
question and, of course, his interest. It is a shame the member for Albany is
not here, because he is a staunch critic of this government's activity
in trying to resolve the old Esplanade site in Albany which, as members know,
has been redeveloped about five times since the late 1800s. It has also been
neglected for the past eight years. It has lain desolate and has become quite
an eyesore; in fact, it has been the recipient of a number of people's
socks over a period of time. It is a huge concern for the people of Albany.
This morning the Premier and I announced that the state government has reached
agreement with the owners to purchase the Esplanade site, which is a fantastic
outcome. That follows the Premier's promise to the people of Albany
last year that the state government would do something about the problem.
Despite a lot of criticism from the member for Albany, who was critical about —
Several members interjected
The
SPEAKER : Member for Collie–Preston, I call you to order for the first
time. Member for Girrawheen, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr
D.T. REDMAN : Members opposite need to remember that this is a
privately-owned property. It was not an easy step for government to take.
Clearly, the government made a decision based on the public interest. I might
add that this calls out to the member for Albany to sort out all those issues
that are dear to him in Albany. The government has actually done something
about this through its development agency LandCorp. We have negotiated the
agreement to purchase the land for $7 million, with $3.3 million of the
purchase price coming from royalties for regions funds, and there will be an
additional $1.5 million of royalties for regions funds to improve the potential
of the site through road realignment and subsequent landscaping. The following
process will be a very strong engagement with the City of Albany and, of
course, the people of Albany to ensure that what has historically been the
jewel in the crown in the Albany community will have a chance of becoming the
jewel in the crown once again. I would love to have a question from the member
for Albany, but unfortunately he is not here. This government intervened and
supported calls from the local community to do something about an eyesore that
has been there for some time.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Bassendean, I call you to order for the first time. Member for
Collie–Preston, I do not want to hear from you again.
Mr D.T. REDMAN :
This government has been committed to resolving the issue, and it is now
active. We look forward to a site that will hopefully have a level of mixed
development, including commercial and residential, and that over time will
become the jewel in the crown for Albany.
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