Renewal starts in Station St

Cottesloe’s Station Street, a retail strip known for its high-end clothing and jewellery stores, has been chosen as the site for a new mixed-use development containing retail, office and residential space.

The 400 square metre site at 1 Station Street, which was previously home to children’s clothing boutique Tinkerbell, has been demolished.

The new building will include a small coffee shop on the ground floor, with office space on the first floor to be occupied by property investment firm, The Warburton Group.

Two apartments of about 150sqm each will be built on the top level.

Architect Murray Etherington, who is a consultant to The Warburton Group, said the building would be on a similar scale to another retail and residential building on the corner of Jarrad Street and Railway Street.

Mr Etherington said the site was ideally situated and would add to the commercial profile of the area.

“For a long time, Station Street has been forgotten, but it’s an important gateway to Cottesloe,” he said.

“I think the building will act as a catalyst for renewal in the area.”

Mr Etherington said the development was in line with the national trend towards small mixed-use projects.

“It’s a model which is required in a town centre like Cottesloe, with commercial space at ground floor level and residential above,” Mr Etherington told WA Business News.

“I hope it’s a catalyst for this new type of development in the area.”

Plans for the site will go to a council meeting next week and the project is scheduled for completion in October.

It is also likely to include an upgrading of the laneway that connects Station Street with Napoleon Street.

Station Street has also attracted interest from the hospitality sector, with high-profile restaurateur Kate Lamont seeking to develop a tapas and wine bar on the strip.

Bigger office developments are also in store for Cottesloe, with agricultural export company Wellard Group building its new corporate headquarters in the suburb.

The group acquired its Stirling Highway site, opposite the Cottesloe Central Shopping Centre, for $4.6 million last year and is constructing a four-storey, green star rated building, to house both its own operations and some tenancies.

Property Council of Australia WA policy manager Lino Iacomella said mixed-use developments were gaining popularity.

“I think it’s something people would like to see across the whole metropolitan area,” he said.

“Locations where mixed-use is viable are usually those in which other retail is present as well. Transport is another factor – access to rail, in particular, and major road is important, and Cottesloe has that.”