A MAJOR step in public transport integration will take place in Kelmscott if WA Planning Commission approval is forthcoming.
A MAJOR step in public transport integration will take place in Kelmscott if WA Planning Commission approval is forthcoming.
A development application to shift the local train and rail facilities into the proposed $35 million redevelopment of the Kelmscott Central Shopping Centre is currently awaiting a decision from the commission.
If the project is approved, Kelmscott will become the first location in WA to fully integrate retail and rail facilities.
The development application seeks to expand the existing supermarket, include a discount department store, 60 specialty stores, a food court and a cinema, as well as to relocate the station into the retail centre.
Kelmscott Central Development Trust project manager Dr Daniel Chesson said a fully integrated train/bus station and shopping centre had not been completed in WA.
“Subiaco got close with its redevelopment and so did Joondalup, but we have the opportunity to fully integrate the two in Kelmscott,” he said.
“Currently the train station is 200 metres north of the site and the Government is looking to upgrade the station.”
Dr Chesson said Kelmscott train and bus station was one of the busiest in WA and was one of few locations in the State where a complete integration of retail and rail could be achieved.
“Up to 8,800 people go through that station per week, and if integrated with the development, that would contribute to a significant amount of people going straight through the shopping centre,” he said.
Dr Chesson said the positive climate for public-private-partnerships under the Gallop Government could result in the station upgrade being partially funded by the Kelmscott trust and the State Government.
“It is a good opportunity for a public-private-partnership; a number of scenarios could eventuate from the partnership, including the trust building the new train station and the Government leasing it back or buying it back in the future,” he said.
“The benefits of this partnership would be that government and the people would get state-of-the-art train station facilities and enjoy the benefits of a brand new train station rather than having to wait till later.”
City of Armadale development services executive director Ian McRae said integration of the station and the shopping centre was a great idea but carried with it a significant public price tag.
The Kelmscott Inquiry by Design, conducted by Armadale and Department of Planning and Infrastructure last October, examined several station upgrade options and estimated the cost of upgrading the station where it is to be $2 million.
The cost of moving the station into the shopping centre is expected to be around $10 million and $20 million, according to Mr McRae.
“From a planning point of view it is clearly beneficial to have the shopping centre and transport facilities integrated, but it comes at a price,” he said.