Perth Voice Interactive

A PLAN to bury powerlines in the Brookman and Moir Street precinct looks likely to be canned due to soaring costs.

Originally, residents were told they were up for about $8260. With 53 per cent approving the plan Vincent city council forged ahead. But now, Western Power says residents’ share of the cost is more than $10,000 each and 63 per cent have told the council to can it.

Staff now recommend dumping the project, which the council will vote on next week.

”I can’t think of a project anywhere on earth that’d start without knowing what the costs are,” Cr Josh Topelberg said.

At a council briefing this week, former councillor Dudley Maier pointed out an holistic plan to install underground power across the city was meant to have been developed years ago. One option would have been to follow Subiaco’s model, where undergrounding is paid for in rates over many years, instead of slugging residents with big one-off costs.

Mayor John Carey says “it has been driving me mad” the idea was never investigated.

“We had a strategic director who was supposed to deliver on this and hasn’t,” he says.

“It is completely frustrating as mayor that we haven’t received clear advice to council on a way forward.

“Could we please, finally, have a clear model for underground power?”

by DAVID BELL