Population growth in Armadale is surpassing expectations, driving rapid residential, commercial and industrial development across the south-eastern suburb.
The latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed that, at July 1 last year, Armadale’s population had outstripped projections by around 2,500 people, making it the 11th largest local government area in Western Australia in terms of residents.
The city’s total population is expected to pass 80,000 this month.
City of Armadale Mayor Henry Zelones told Business News the rapid growth was driving a range of residential development projects, particularly in Harrisdale, Piara Waters, Haynes and Hilbert.
Mr Zelones said there were 116 residential building applications with a collective worth of $25 million in April.
Developers active across Armadale include Stockland, PRM Property Group, Cedar Woods, QUBE Property Group and Satterley Property Group.
“Being in the corner of the metropolitan area where we are, affordability is a bit better than some places, particularly for young families,” Mr Zelones said.
“But we do have a large cross-section of housing types as well which is attracting people.
“Unit development and infill development is very strong.”
Along with the vast amounts of residential development, new commercial facilities are also rolling out at pace.
Stockland announced early last month it was going ahead with the first stage of its planned Harrisdale Shopping Centre, a $51 million, 13,000 square metre facility being built by Pindan.
Eventually, the mall will become a 25,000sqm development, with Woolworths signed as anchor tenant for the first stage.
Industrial development is also a focus of the City of Armadale, which has partnered with the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority and LandCorp to deliver the Forrestdale Business Park, an industrial estate expected to provide up to 15,000 jobs.
The state government has also shown its commitment to the area, announcing earlier this year it would spend $9.5 million enhancing the area’s two senior high schools.
But Mr Zelones said those were a small proportion of the education opportunities in Armadale, with the number of private schools in the area far surpassing state schools.
He said education was a growth area in the city that should not be understated.
“A lot of teachers live near where they work, so that’s a jobs-generating area that we don’t put a lot of emphasis on, but there are a lot of people employed,” Mr Zelones said.
One private school in Armadale, Dale Christian School, recently unveiled a significant expansion undertaken by Ausco Modular.
The modular school took just seven months from site works to completed construction.
Ausco Modular WA general manager Leo Crohan said the buildings were customised to meet the needs of students and teachers.
“The bulk of the site works were required to be completed during the school term, so we worked with the school and the local community to ensure there was minimal disruption,” Mr Crohan told Business News.
“This required us to work around peak traffic and school drop-off and pick-up times, and avoid weekend work so as not to disrupt surrounding residents.”
Mr Zelones said the next step for Armadale to become a truly strategic centre in metropolitan Perth was two-pronged – attracting a government department, and establishing a major tertiary education facility.
“We feel with the growth of the area we require greater government support,” he said.
“The issue we have with the fast growth of people coming into the area is they need schools, they need public transport, and they need a lot of support networks for young families.
“We also desperately need a Tafe; we have a token presence here at the moment but we need something that ends up with bricks and mortar.”
