The Catholic Church will have to pay application fees to rebuild the Bunbury cathedral, after a request to waive the charges was rejected. The cathedral was destroyed by a tornado in 2005 and rebuilding work is now getting underway.
The church had hoped to avoid the $50,000 planning and development application fees after the owners of other damaged buildings were not charged.
But this week, council voted six-five in favour of imposing the fees.
Bunbury Bishop Gerard Holohan says council had promised to waive the fees.
"People always hope that public institutions will keep their word," he said.
Bunbury Mayor David Smith says the council is considering a $50,000 donation to the church.
"There are some councillors who would prefer to make a donation rather than actually waive a fee," he said.
A decision on that is expected in the coming weeks.
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