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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Subiaco residents pushed back against a proposed sale of council-owned land because they wanted it retained for community amenity and open space. The dispute concerned four specific lots—not development across Subiaco generally—and ended with a pocket park at 203 Bagot Road and separate auctions of 6 and 8 Rupert Street. The park opened in January 2026, so the 2024 proposal is no longer pending.
What residents were opposing
In May 2023, the City of Subiaco gave public notice of a business plan to dispose of four lots: two at 203 Bagot Road and properties at 6 and 8 Rupert Street. The ageing Subiaco Community Centre occupied the Bagot Road site. The 8 Rupert Street property was heritage-listed and had until recently been leased to a social tenant. The lots were not all treated as having the same heritage status.
Submissions on the proposed disposal favoured retaining land for community amenity. Residents raised concerns about open space and community cohesion. One submission, quoted by PerthNow, argued that Subiaco was “well down on open space” and urged the City to save the land and trees for a green gathering place. That was a resident’s view, not a published statistic about the amount of open space in the City.
A mature lemon-scented gum at 203 Bagot Road was added to the City’s Significant Tree Register in August 2023. Its presence made the site’s existing tree canopy part of the discussion, alongside the community centre’s future and the development potential of the land.
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What the City said about the ageing centre
The centre dated from 1967 and had been used as a senior citizens centre. In its 2024 report, the City described the building as being at the end of its useful life and said three nearby community centres had capacity for increased use.
The same report gave figures for the 2021–22 financial year: about $14,000 in revenue and more than $40,000 in maintenance costs. These are historical figures cited by the City, not current operating costs. They formed part of the case for considering what to do with an ageing council asset; they do not by themselves establish that selling the land was the only financially viable choice.
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The three options council considered
The City’s agenda for 20 February 2024 set out three alternatives. Officers recommended the second as the best balance of social, environmental and financial outcomes.
| Option | Community and environmental implications | Development and asset implications |
|---|---|---|
| Reinstate or redevelop community uses | Would retain a community-use purpose at the site; the agenda’s summary did not specify a particular redevelopment or its resulting facilities. | Would require addressing the ageing centre. The agenda did not state a comparable cost for this option. |
| Demolish the centre, create a park at 203 Bagot Road and sell 6 and 8 Rupert Street separately | Would add public realm around the significant tree, while replacing the centre with passive open space rather than another community building. | Would allow sale proceeds from the Rupert Street properties to contribute to renewing ageing City assets. Officers recommended this option. |
| Sell all four lots for development | Would not retain the Bagot Road site as a pocket park. | The agenda noted the development potential of selling all lots together. No sale value or like-for-like financial comparison was stated. |
The options involved different trade-offs: community use, tree canopy and public space, heritage character, development potential, and the City’s maintenance and asset-renewal needs. The agenda did not establish that their financial outcomes would be equivalent.
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How the decision changed
At the 20 February meeting, councillors did not settle the proposal. They carried a procedural motion to move to the next item and requested a workshop. On 19 March 2024, council resolved not to proceed with the advertised major land transaction. Instead, it approved demolishing the centre, creating a pocket park at 203 Bagot Road, and auctioning 6 and 8 Rupert Street separately, with reserve prices informed by recent market valuations. The resolution passed 5–3.
That outcome was a change from selling all four lots for development, but it did not preserve the community centre. The community benefit ultimately chosen was a public green space, while the two Rupert Street properties were to be sold separately.
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What is at the site now
The City says demolition was completed in January 2025, construction began in September 2025 and the Rupert Street pocket park opened at the end of January 2026. It is a small, passive-use space beside a busy road and homes, intended as a place to sit and connect with nature.
- Retained mature trees and native plants.
- Solar-powered lights, a drinking fountain and a bird-watering station.
- A swale that directs runoff to garden beds.
- Thirty-six circular public-art tiles planned for the concrete kerbing, with some to be designed with local primary school students.
The City said the site was not considered suitable for a dog park, formal playground, active sports or noisy events. At the opening, Mayor David McMullen described the park as a shaded place to sit, enjoy a coffee or lunch, or chat, and said it would support local flora and fauna.
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Heritage and development context
The dispute sat within a longer conversation about how Subiaco accommodates redevelopment while maintaining its character. The City’s 2020 Local Planning Strategy notes that periods of redevelopment and higher-density construction prompted calls to preserve the area’s identity and the development of heritage policies. That context does not mean all the lots in this dispute had identical heritage protections: the evidence identifies 8 Rupert Street as heritage-listed.
For heritage-protected places, the City advises understanding a place’s significance before making changes. Development approval is generally required for most work on listed places and in heritage areas, subject to exemptions; owners should consult the City’s heritage guidance and applicable local planning policies for a specific property.
Why the case matters—and what it does not show
The Subiaco dispute shows how a specific council land-sale proposal can become a debate about the balance between development, public space, heritage and the cost of maintaining ageing assets. Residents’ submissions helped put community amenity and the site’s trees at the centre of that debate. Council ultimately chose a park on the Bagot Road site while retaining the option to sell the Rupert Street lots separately.
It does not show that all Subiaco residents oppose development, nor does it quantify how much open space the City has. It records a local response to a particular proposed disposal and the decision made for these sites.
Sources: PerthNow’s 18 February 2024 report; the City of Subiaco’s 20 February 2024 council agenda and 19 March 2024 minutes; the City’s Rupert Street pocket park project page and 24 February 2026 opening announcement; the City’s heritage guidance and the 2020 Local Planning Strategy.
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