It’s a forlorn sight, stuck between the new Perth Arena indoor stadium to be built by BGC and the dormant wastelands of the stalled Northbridge Link project.
It’s a forlorn sight, stuck between the new Perth Arena indoor stadium to be built by BGC and the dormant wastelands of the stalled Northbridge Link project.
Welcome to the Perth Entertainment Centre, once the jewel in the crown of big country town trying to be a city. The 8,200-seat venue was opened in 1974, hosted concerts, musicals and sporting events for almost 30 years and even gained an honourable mention in the Guinness Book of Records for being the world’s largest purpose-built theatre.
These days, it is a sun-faded shadow of its former self and its owner, Seven Network, is again bewildered by state government’s inaction since learning that the Northbridge Link project, which was to encompass the central city site, was not included in this month’s budget.
“Where we are at the moment is, quite frankly, we don’t know where they are going,” Seven project director Steve Wise told WA Business News.
“It is very frustrating.”
Mr Wise believes the development of the site – which Seven suggests has a capacity of 70,000 square metres of residential and commercial buildings – is the logically the next cab off the rank following the green light for the Perth Arena.
But without a planning scheme, Seven’s hands are tied, leaving a near-derelict building to contrast with the sparkling new indoor stadium.
“Obviously, they will be sinking dollars into making the arena attractive,” Mr Wise said.
“To spend $320 million next to a decaying monolithic structure doesn’t make a lot of sense.
“Clearly the arena was part of a master plan. Whatever the timetable for that is, it needs to be brought forward. Until there is a master plan, realistically that will facilitate a planning outcome, no-one will spend any more money.”
Seven has spent plenty in the past on various options for the building.
At one stage it was mooted as an alternative convention centre, and was also touted as a bulky goods store.
Before the arena was decided upon, Seven looked at refurbishing it to hold sports events like the Hopman Cup tennis tournament. When the state government sought to fund a major convention centre and soccer stadium, the site was to play a role, hosting among other things a major digital media centre.
With those opportunities bypassed, and no chance the centre will ever be revived as a venue, Mr Wise said the link project offered a fresh view, until it was mothballed in this year’s budget.
Seven’s experience with this type of development through its involvement with the Melbourne Docklands stadium makes it confident a mixed-use project with significant height – the talk is of allowing up to 25 storeys – will work well for Perth.
“It [Perth] critically needs this infrastructure, it is critical to link the city and Northbridge,” Mr Wise said.
