LABOR has pledged $1.5 million towards buying the “Carter’s block” wetlands.

The privately owned wetlands was partially cleared last year to make way for a housing development.

Bayswater council’s already pledged $1.5 million and wants the WA Planning Commission to chip in the rest.

On Wednesday January 25 Labor’s Lisa Baker met with shadow planning minister Rita Saffioti at the site to announce the extra funding.

Catastrophic

Ms Baker linked the planning commission’s approval of the clearing to wider “catastrophic failures of the Liberal-National government’s planning and environment policies,” allowed by limp environmental protection laws.

Bayswater council has petitioned the WAPC to rezone the land as a parks and recreation reserve, and if it can buy the land plans to clean it up and rehabilitate the partly-cleared area.

by DAVID BELL