Published on Wednesday, 27 August 2025 at 11:09:24 AM
The Town of Bassendean Council has endorsed a new two-year lease to Casa Mia Montessori Community School for use of 11 Hamilton Street, allowing the school to transition to a new larger site to cater to its growing student base.
The new two-year lease was endorsed without extension or holding over options, ending 31 December 2029.
The decision follows multiple lease extensions over the course of 26 years, since the school initially began as a small group of home-schooling families in 1999.
The site was initially leased to the school on a recurring one-year basis. In 2009, after adoption of the Town Centre Area Strategy, the School was given notice that the current site would not be a permanent site for the school.
The Town then offered a further four lease extensions from 2009: in 2010, 2012, 2012-2017 and then a final five-year lease with a five-year option extending the current lease until 31 December 2027.
In 2016, the school expressed an interest in purchasing the land and expanding the site with the purchase of 16 Whitfield Street. Council was willing to support Casa Mia’s proposed plans to expand the site and was prepared to make the necessary planning amendments, but this ultimately did not occur as the school rejected the Town’s legal conditions and did not purchase the adjoining land.
By entering into a 10-year lease in 2017, the Town continued to demonstrate its commitment to retaining Casa Mia Montessori School in Bassendean while the school worked through its long-term expansion plans at another site.
The Town understands the school’s need for continuity for its students and families as they transition to a new site and has demonstrated its willingness to support this transition with the multiple lease extensions and options provided to Casa Mia to secure the site over many years.
Whilst the Town has consistently recognised the valuable contribution that the school makes to the Bassendean community, it has also signaled its clear intent over many years, including in the adopted Town Centre Masterplan (2018), that meeting the State Government’s infill targets was the highest and best use of the Town-owned land.
The parcel of land currently used by the school as a playground will be returned to BIC Reserve, providing additional public open space for the broader community and to cater for the expected increased urban density over time.
As Casa Mia transitions to its new site, the Town will commence plans to redevelop this land for the benefit of the community, in line with the adopted Town Centre Master Plan and soon to be released Town Centre Precinct Structure Plan.
Details of any future development will be made available as plans progress.
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