WITH key transport infrastructure changes needed to make the Stirling City Centre vision possible, Transport Minister Troy Buswell has thrown his support behind the project.
Mr Buswell, who was last week briefed on the project by planners and community stakeholders, labelled it a “powerful and important vision for Perth”.
The Stirling City Centre is an ambitious concept that would include 330ha of land near Stirling train station transformed into a vibrant, high-density hub.
Features of the draft plan, which was released for public comment yesterday, include the extension of Stephenson Avenue, light rail infrastructure and an urban stream called Nookenburra Creek.
The Innaloo cinema site and a section of the Osborne Park industrial precinct would be redeveloped into medium-to-high-density residential areas, and two schools would be built to cater for an extra 20,000 residents.
Mr Buswell told the Stirling Times the plan was a realistic vision that was consistent with State Government planning principles.
“We have a very strong focus on these transit-oriented developments, and of the ones I’ve been briefed on, this is the easiest one to get off the ground,” he said.
“This is a natural transport point of confluence… it’s entirely consistent with the State’s push to develop more intense use of land in areas that have transport advantages.
“The critical thing for us, from a State point of view, is to look seriously at investing in the core transport infrastructure.”
Days before the plan’s public release, Mr Buswell committed to developing a “package of works” for State Government consideration.
“I’ll be meeting in a couple of weeks with the Director General of the Department of Planning and we’ll start work on developing that package of works that Government then has to consider,” he said.