Been Here Before, James

Perth Voice, 21st September 2013. Click to enlarge

Back on 30th March 2008, I drew attention to the issue of school overcrowding in Vincent (Where Will They Go To School?) and expressed my view that the answer lay in imaginative incorporation of a new school into the Oxford Centre redevelopment, where Council owns 2 hectares of undeveloped land (car parks) - and on which the City of Perth currently has its beady eyes as a $50 million asset.

I don't believe it lies in getting rid of the Schools of Isolated and Distance Education, which ironically occupy the site and some of the buildings of the now-closed Leederville Primary School, as the buildings, configuration and land area are not suitable for a modern primary school.

Moreover, the staff employed by the Schools of Isolated and Distance Education contribute to the daytime population of Leederville and help support the businesses there.

Unfortunately, the redevelopment of the Oxford Centre has been put on hold because of the economic climate. I put it to you, James, that this time should be used to work out how best to use that redevelopment opportunity to create an innovative approach to primary education for the 21st century.