City of Greater Geraldton rejects State Government’s bid for land in railway station deal

The local council is in a stoush with a State department over the old Railway Station on Marine Terrace, with Geraldton’s mayor claiming the State Government wants to swap the heritage-listed building for foreshore land to sell to private developers. In letter to the City of Greater Geraldton from the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage, the latter proposed it would exchange the building’s ownership for $1 million from the City along with the City handing over the John Forrest Memorial plinth site and adjacent foreshore basketball half-court. The City manages the heritage-listed building, which is owned by the State and sits on foreshore reserve land. CGG Mayor Shane Van Styn said the council had been requesting for more than five years for the department to change the zoning of the building so it could be rented to commercial tenants. “Simply we just wanted to get the change of use on this and it’s been years and years and years of negotiating with lands,” he said. “All we want is the permission usage to change, it’s a stroke of a pen. There’s no need to be going through free-holding and land swaps and all of this. “We just don’t know why we can’t use this building commercially, we’ll split the rent with the State Government.” Mr Van Styn said the land exchange would be a raw deal for the council and residents, with the Government planning to sell the foreshore site to private developers. “But it was the State Government that offered us to get this site in freehold, but in exchange all of a sudden they wanted to freehold some of our foreshore to sell off to developers,” he said. “We just don’t see why you’d want to reduce the foreshore and take away our half-court basketball court, the John Forrest plinth, all of the trees and create another building without parking smack bang on the foreshore.” The building has had many uses since it was built in 1878 including a library, museum and most recently a visitor centre. It fell into disrepair at the turn of the century but was restored by the State Government and City, splitting the $2m cost equally. A new Geraldton music group is set to take over the old Railway Station for a short-term lease. Geraldton musician Alexia Parenzee’s Regional Sounds Incorporated, which does fit the tenancy requirements, has requested the council grant it a three-month lease to pilot local music performances and artist workshops at the site. At CGG’s July agenda forum on Tuesday, City CEO Ross McKim said he had spoken with Geraldton MP Lara Dalton as the motion could “potentially stir this issue up again”. “So she has spoken to the minister about it and the minister’s office, and they think the idea of a short-term lease is a good idea because it will give them a bit of time to get their act together,” he told the council. Mr McKim said the longer-term issues with land parcels was “getting a bit long in the tooth” and hoped it would move forward. A Department spokesperson said it was working with the City to resolve land tenure proposals on the Geraldton Foreshore. “Discussions have included the proposed transfer of the old Geraldton railway station to the City, and a potential land exchange between the State and the City which would enable the City to use the old Geraldton railway station for an alternative use,” they said. “The City has raised concerns about the loss of public amenity should the land on which the John Forrest memorial plinth sits be part of a land exchange agreement. The Department is therefore now investigating alternative land exchange options. “The Department will continue to work with the City on an outcome that is viable for all parties.”