Maylands residents are fighting a City of Bayswater proposal to close a local water park, with fears the land could be sold to developers.

Maylands Waterland, on the riverfront alongside the Peninsula golf course, has catered for young families for four decades.

The park attracts 35,000 people each summer and is becoming more popular, has five swimming pools up to 60cm deep, barbecue areas, fountains and a kiosk.

Camera Icon Elli Petersen-Pik with Kate Brill and Heather Sole. Credit: Michael Wilson

A six-month community consultation that ended last May resulted in the council voting to keep the water park and spend $3.2 million on upgrading it.

But a new budget proposal to use $1.5 million of public open space funds to redevelop the area has disappointed hundreds of residents.

It is believed the redevelopment would involve replacing the park with a new playground, which locals say they don’t need.

“Perth is spoilt for playgrounds, we love them but it’s not something we want more of,” Maylands mother-of-three Kate Brill said.

A playground already sits in the land adjacent to the water park, adding to speculation the council may be planning to offload the water park land for other developments.

Camera Icon The Maylands Waterland park Credit: .

Ms Brill said locals were very suspicious of the council’s intentions with the land and were angry it changed its tune after committing to the $3.2 million upgrade of the park.

“We can’t believe it, after going through what we did last year with the community consultation — it seemed like a done deal,” she said.

“The community is quite upset, it is quite under-handed.”

Ms Brill is the president of the local playgroup and has three sons aged one to four.

She said the water park was unique in that it was safe and affordable for young families.

Bayswater councillor Elli Petersen-Pik is speaking out against the council’s plans for the park, outlined in its draft budget.

He encouraged locals to voice their concerns with their local representative ahead of the city’s budget meeting on July 3.

“It attracts people from the whole metropolitan area,” he said.

“It was already in the plan to keep the pools, now they’ve come up with a new plan — there is no rationale behind it.”