Mount Lawley resident Jos Jensen, an artist who uses ECU’s facilities, said she was “mortified and really disappointed” the institution, which was established almost 40 years ago, was considering the move. “It would be a huge disappointment and loss for the area,” she said. “What on earth would they put there in its place, I would hate to see apartments go in there.” Christine Lovitt, a resident of the area for more than 40 years whose daughter studied at the campus, said the move would mean a loss to the sense of village and community ECU Mount Lawley had created. “There’s no room in the city for a campus and just to move it to a high-rise building isn’t attractive,” she said. “There would need to be plans made for accommodation and parking, both of which are established on the existing ECU site in Mount Lawley.” Ms Lovitt said the proposal wouldn’t be “so terrible” if ECU only moved one faculty, but that “tends to mean, like with Notre Dame, bit by bit they will move everything else until they’ve filled a full multi-storey building” with all of their faculties.

“They’re trying to do the same thing with a university in Tasmania and the small business council is vehemently opposed to moving it into the CBD because traditionally a student cohort doesn’t spend money in a city centre,” she said. Loading “There's mixed views from a business perspective as to whether in fact this kind of relocation is even a good idea at all.” Additionally, Ms Lovitt said having an undergraduate university campus in the city raised safety concerns for students and staff, especially if they had to use facilities late at night, noting the existing campus in the inner suburb was "a much more safe environment". Former real estate agent Jan Wilkie, who has lived in the area for about 50 years, said the majority of people bought properties in Mount Lawley and surrounds due to the close proximity to education facilities.

In a letter submitted to Mount Lawley MLA Simon Millman last year, residents strongly opposed the proposed move, stating ECU, the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts, student accomodation and Mount Lawley High School had become a world-class education hub. “These facilities have come at great financial cost to [the] previous government and now represent one of the best education precincts in Western Australia,” the letter read. “To replicate these facilities anywhere else will come at a huge financial impact on taxpayers." A state government spokesman did not comment specifically on proposed ECU plans but said the potential investment in a CBD-based university campus was being explored, although no decision had been made. “Although some universities have publicly expressed a strong interest to establish a campus in the CBD, the government has invited every one of WA’s universities to submit their proposals.” he said A panel of senior public servants from the state and federal government, as well as City of Perth representatives, has been established to evaluate the proposals before making its recommendation to stakeholders involved.

An ECU spokeswoman confirmed the university had submitted an expression of interest but said it wasn’t appropriate to comment on the project at this stage. “Any discussion or community consultation about the future of ECU’s Mount Lawley campus would be premature while the government-led expressions of interest process is still underway,” she said. “ECU will continue to keep its staff, students and stakeholders up to date with any new information about the status of the process.” In November, City of Perth chair commissioner Andrew Hammond said ECU was exploring options for the development of a creative industries campus in the CBD, possibly Yagan Square. “The scale of a tertiary education development of this size would be greater than anything that’s ever been seen before, catering for around 6000 students and 1000 staff attending the facility each day,” he said.