Perron in $25m Mirrabooka pitch

A $25 million refurbishment of the Perron Group-owned Mirrabooka Square Shopping Centre will be the first step towards a wider revitalisation of the area, if approved by council.

Under plans submitted to the City of Stirling, which are yet to be approved, the shopping centre will undergo an internal redevelopment to create two new malls and a north-facing piazza.

A number of new tenancies will also be created through a reconfiguring of the centre's layout, including an additional 3,500 square metres of space that became available after an IGA supermarket closed earlier this year.

The piazza will join the two main entrances to the centre, with a fountain in the middle.

Perron Group general manager Ian Armstrong said the Mirrabooka project was being undertaken as part of the company's policy of refurbishing its shopping centre assets every five to 10 years.

He said Perron had appointed architecture firm Buchan Group - which has undertaken work for the company on other sites, including an extension of its Cockburn Gateway shopping centre - to design the layout and piazza.

The refurbishment may be the first step towards a major extension of the centre, although no plans have been set out to date.

According to the City of Stirling, Perron Group could add a further 10,000sqm of retail space to Mirrabooka Square under the state's retail planning laws.

However, with the government's Network City policy finding momentum, local government planning regulations may soon require shopping centre owners to provide for a mix of uses, including commercial offices.

Meanwhile, the City of Stirling is planning a multi-million dollar redevelopment of the area around Mirrabooka Square, to create a main street retail development.

The project would involve extending and connecting three roads, to make a central t-junction around the town square.

The City of Stirling has secured in-principle support from Perron Group to extend its shopping centre to front the road, and is currently in negotiations with several government departments - including Planning and Infrastructure, Housing and Works and the Public Transport Authority - to transfer some land for the development.

The Perron Group also owns the Belmont Forum shopping centre.