Norma Road in Myaree is set for a significant change if the City of Melville’s proposed re-zoning for the area is given the go ahead by the Western Australian Planning Commission.
Norma Road in Myaree is set for a significant change if the City of Melville’s proposed re-zoning for the area is given the go ahead by the Western Australian Planning Commission.
What is now a commercial and industrial precinct could soon become a ‘high street’, featuring multi-storey residential apartments, restaurants, cafes, office buildings and showrooms amidst landscaped street edges and parks.
A master plan to develop four new precincts has been supported by council and stakeholders through preliminary consultation.
The city proposes the introduction of a lower plot ratio to reduce the intensity of non-residential development.
Also proposed is an increase in coding, to allow higher density residential to act as a buffer between adjoining commercial activity and residential uses.
Another planned precinct will allow for the development of lots facing Leach Highway for open display, bulky goods and large retail use.
City of Melville chief executive Eric Lumsden said a deputation of local business owners approached the council two years ago about improving the image of the area by providing more amenity and encouraging mixed-use.
He said Myaree had a lacklustre image despite being located near the gentrified suburbs of Booragoon and Alfred Cove.
“People recognise that it’s an important and very visible area of Melville city, so we want to establish more definitive mixed-use nodes and give land owners more flexibility in zoning,” Mr Lumsden said.
“The potential residential development will certainly not dominate what is essentially a commercial and retail area.”
City of Melville Mayor Katherine Jackson said in a statement the proposal was about encouraging more business opportunity and social interaction in Myaree so that the area could become a livelier hub for the local community.
Improving the business mix of the Melville locale appears to be high on the city’s agenda, with a separate scheme amendment also up for public consultation.
This time the city is hoping to create three new sub-precincts near Canning Bridge using new development standards relating to building heights, residential density and plot ratio in the precinct.
It is proposed that building densities in the district centre precinct be increased in areas south of Canning Highway along Kishorn and Ogilvie roads, and north of the highway incorporating the library and Tivoli Theatre on Canning Beach Road.
Mr Lumsden said that, instead of a piecemeal approach to the precinct, the city would be taking a holistic approach with regard to proximity to the river and future railway station.
The proposed scheme amendments are open for public comment until November 21, and provided they are supported, the city hopes to have re-zonings finalised within 12 months.
