Yanchep Community Men’s Shed is appealing to the City of Wanneroo to help find them a new home before their lease in Bracknell St runs out in February.

Yanchep News Online understands Yanchep Community Men’s Shed (YCMS) also wants to contact Yanchep Beach Joint Venture (YBJV) chief executive officer Gin Wah Ang in their efforts to find some land for which they can pay a peppercorn rent or the use of an existing building for low rent.

Earlier this year a plan for the YCMS to build a new shed at Oldham Park was scuttled when a bushfire attack level (BAL) assessment showed the site was unsuitable – BAL is a method for rating the intensity of a location’s potential exposure to bushfire.

At the October 11 council meeting North ward councillor Sonet Coetzee tabled a petition signed by more than 1000 people asking the city to find YCMS some land or a building to continue their service.

During statement time YCMS chairman Malcolm Gow told councillors that after seven years of serving the community and supplying products such as the tables at Yanchep Lagoon and Neptune’s cafes and Yanchep Inn as well as working on projects with local schools the men’s shed might have to close.

“I am here tonight to appeal to councillors to please find us land, which we can pay a peppercorn rent for that was going to be offered for Oldham Park or the use of an existing building for low rent,’’ he said.

“Otherwise from February 2024 our lease expires.

“If we can negotiate an extension, it is likely we will be expected to pay higher rents due to mortgages going up, which will quickly drain our resources.’’

Mayor Linda Aitken, who had earlier stopped Mr Gow’s deputation when he criticised the council’s handling of the Oldham Park process, said she was sure the city would not stop working with the men’s shed to make sure they got suitable accommodation.

Mr Gow said there was an opportunity adjacent to their current building.

“(There’s) an existing shed of suitable size to provide facilities for the (men’s) shed but also to provide other accommodation for community groups to meet at a selling price of $1.1 million, which we would ask the council to look to investigate purchasing as a sound investment to support the community and the services the community groups particularly the Yanchep Community Men’s Shed provides,’’ he said.

Community and place acting director Rohan Klemm said the city was continuing to investigate options for the men’s shed.

Mr Klemm said YCMS could use the Oldham Park clubrooms to hold community and wellbeing activities meetings but they would not be able to put their industrial equipment there.

“In regard to the adjacent site to their current facility this is the first time that I believe we’ve had that option raised to us so we would have to undertake further investigations into what could be possible there,’’ he said.

When Cr Vinh Nguyen asked if Mr Gow had any further questions after Mr Klemm’s response Mrs Aitken said Mr Gow had had his time but then allowed him to speak again.

Mr Gow acknowledged that administration had continually stated that Oldham Park could be used as a social area and possibly they could put their containers down at the Ashby depot.

“But the fact is that we’ve got nearly $60,000 worth of equipment, which would not be used at all, and the main principle of a men’s shed is using the workshop for producing woodwork and metalwork items and what we are being offered is nothing that will provide those facilities,’’ he said.

In September 2022 an officer’s report on the city’s proposed and ultimately successful appeal of its existing community shed policy said the primary activity of a community shed was to provide a safe, friendly and welcoming environment where men and/or women were able to work on meaningful projects in the company of others.

Community sheds seek to advance the health and wellbeing of their members, promote social connection and encourage social inclusion,’’ the report said.

This article appeared on Yanchep News Online on 22 October 2023.