ABC officially endorses village

IT’S OFFICIAL – the Austra-lian Broadcasting Corporation board has endorsed East Perth’s new media village as the preferred site for its relocation.

East Perth Redevelopment Authority CEO Tony Morgan said the ABC had entered into a option agreement with EPRA.

“There are conditions to this which need to be resolved in the next couple of months,” Mr Morgan said.

“The new media village building allowance is four storeys high. With the transmission tower, the ABC would be much higher than this.”

Mr Morgan said the allow-ances were not set in stone.

“We are currently discussing where the building and tower would be on the site,” Mr Morgan said.

“At this stage, the proposals are satisfactory,” he said.

ABC general manager of property Laurie Arthur said the ABC was keen to relocate to East Perth.

“We are working in good faith with EPRA and hope to finalise the planning guidelines and final terms and conditions soon,” Mr Arthur said.

He said, while the Market Street site in West Perth had been considered, the new media village site was the only one endorsed by the ABC board.

Mr Morgan said EPRA would like to see the ABC fully relocated to East Perth by December 2001.

He said other television stations had also approached EPRA to discuss opportunities in the area.

“Traditional broadcasting and new media communication groups will benefit from existing fibre optic cable facilities and proximity to the city centre,” Mr Morgan said.

“Imago Multi-Media, The Shorter Group and Pretzel Logic have all bought or leased property there.

“Others will come like bees to a honeypot – the ABC being the honeypot.

“The Advanced Manufactur-ing Technologies Centre is another key attractor,” he said.