Former Mitchell Park Neighbourhood Centre to become school campus

The old Mitchell Park Neighbourhood Centre building will soon become a campus for disadvantaged Marion students as part of the Education Department’s Bowden Brompton Community School.

At their General Council meeting this week Council Members voted to commence negotiations with the school to lease the site at 1 Cumbria Court, Mitchell Park, for five years after considering three Expressions of Interest in using the vacant building and car park.

The green space next to the building remains a community reserve following a Council resolution in August last year.

Bowden Brompton Community School is a multi-campus school located in Brompton, Christies Beach, Para Hills, and Salisbury North that provides learning programs for students who cannot engage with traditional schools and educational services.

The school was one of four organisations to submit applications to buy, lease or hire the building during an Expression of Interest (EOI) process in late 2022.

One of the applicants later withdrew their EOI but not-for-profit group Puddle Jumpers, martial arts and sporting group the Sambo Federation and the Bowden Brompton Community School put forward cases to lease the property.

Representatives from all three groups made deputations to this week’s General Council meeting and Council Members later selected the school as the preferred lessee.

Bowden Brompton Community School Assistant Principal David Collins told the Council that the building would be used for a class of 10 students and the Mitchell Park site was centrally located between their Brompton and Christies Beach campuses with good public transport options for students who lived in the local community.

“Council Members were told that the Bowden Brompton Community School had a number of students from the Marion council area,” Mayor of Marion Kris Hanna said.

“Using the old centre as a school campus will meet the needs of young people in our community who are challenged by mainstream education - currently they have to travel to either Brompton or Christies Beach.”

The lease only encompasses the building and car park on the site at 1 Cumbria Court. The green space is being retained as a community reserve.

The Mitchell Park Neighbourhood Centre moved into the new multi-million-dollar Mitchell Park Sports and Community Centre on Moreland Avenue in June 2022.

Photo: The former Mitchell Park Neighbourhood Centre building off Cumbria Court, Mitchell Park.