John Connell Reserve: Old Leeming landfill site left neglected draws concerns as locals push for city action

A former landfill site in the John Connell Reserve is under the spotlight; locals are pushing for the site’s master plan to be saved and question the city’s inaction.

It operated as the Dundee Road Landfill from 1974 to 2000 before being decommissioned in the early 2000s.

It was marked “contaminated – remediation required” by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) in 2013, but this work has not yet been completed.

Leeming resident Con Abbott said this was the “101st postponement” by the City of Melville.

“They created this mess because you can’t delay such a big project for 26 years,” he told PerthNow.

“The first step is to get the master plan approved and implemented. The master plan has been canceled and now all these problems are emerging: the cricket canopy and the unimproved flying area.”

“This is what happens if you don’t do anything for a quarter of a century.”

Various plans for the 115-hectare reserve were discussed before the council formally voted to produce a masterplan in 2021, with overwhelmingly positive feedback from the community received throughout the advertising process in 2023.

According to the city’s website, the master plan sought to increase “usable public open space” while preserving natural areas and explore remediation opportunities for the former landfill.

The plan is paused in 2024 as the city evaluates other land use opportunities.

In April this year councilors approved the expansion of the cricket pitch for the local Leeming Spartans Cricket Club. The extension will involve clearing up to 0.68 hectares of native vegetation on the reserve and does not include landfill remediation plans.

Mr Abbott, who has lived in Leeming for 40 years, said: “The notice area hasn’t been fully fixed and they still don’t know what to do to fix it. It’s ridiculous.”

The City appointed an expert consultant in April to work with relevant State Government stakeholders to complete environmental testing and assess estimated costs and requirements to remediate the site.

City of Melville Chief Executive Gail Bowman told PerthNow that improvements were not expected to be made to achieve the extension and the risk to public health was “negligible”.

“Larger financial provisions are available for landfill remediation and related work, and future funding requirements will be evaluated through the city’s long-term financial planning once the survey results and proposed land uses are approved,” he said.

Ms Bowman said the city was working with DWER and the Department of Health to implement a site management plan.

“Key actions include monitoring for asbestos, groundwater and landfill gas, targeted asbestos removal known as emu scavenging, applying mulch to garden beds and maintaining grassy/vegetated areas to stabilize surfaces, and inspections of common areas,” he said.

“More recently, inspections conducted by the city’s contaminated site expert and an accredited inspector in April and May 2026 found no visible asbestos or waste material in public areas.”

A DWER spokesperson confirmed that DWER has been in contact with the city regarding the site.

“We understand that landfill waste is capped and the city periodically monitors groundwater and maintains fencing and vegetation as required,” they said.

“DWER is satisfied that the City of Melville has taken appropriate action to manage the site, complete remediation, and manage associated risks.”

There is still discarded garbage in the area and it has not yet been completely remedied.

Mr. Abbott said this demonstrates a pattern in which the city prioritizes expensive projects in suburbs north of the Leach Highway.

“The council might say ‘this is going to be expensive’ but then why are you doing a $60 million cultural centre? Why are we doing Heathcote? You’re quite happy to do all these projects north of the Leach Highway but when it comes to this thing, it’s out of sight, out of mind,” he said.

“Clearly the mayor and CEO did not have a ribbon-cutting opportunity to improve a tipping area. John Connell is a classic example of what can happen if infrastructure is not distributed equitably throughout the city.”

Mr Abbott said failure to implement the master plan also meant other local clubs would lose out.

“The opportunity cost of not developing John Connell Reserve is all the opportunities lost for sports clubs,” he said.

“If we don’t start this, in three or four years football people will say they need to expand, then a hodgepodge of ideas will come into the system instead of needing a master plan, as the football people in Beasley and the city quite correctly think.”

A shelter facility reserve estimated to reach just over $14 million is being developed, corporate services director Gary Tuffin noted at last week’s meeting.

Ms Bowman said this supported the city’s long-term obligations in relation to its waste management infrastructure and former landfill sites across the city, including the John Connell Reserve.

“This includes landfill closure and post-closure management, environmental monitoring and compliance activities, remediation and rehabilitation for a number of former landfills, and future infrastructure requirements for waste,” he said.

“At this stage there is no reserve specifically allocated just for the delivery of the master plan.”

The city currently uses a small area of ​​the site to store materials such as bricks, drain pipes, logs and rocks, but Ms Bowman said this did not harm the environment.

Incidents of illegal waste dumping and fly tipping on the reserve were reportedly managed by the city. It has also stored clean materials such as sand, aggregate and grass clippings in consultation with DWER.