Whole-of-community planning

CELEBRATED author DH Lawrence may have been more forthcoming than most when, during his time in Australia in the 1920s, he described much of the land south of Perth as “good for nothing except a cemetery”, but he wasn’t alone in his evaluation of that area’s usefulness.

Development in Perth during the early decades of the 20th century focused on the near-northern suburbs, East Perth and even Fremantle.

Thankfully the good burghers of Canning Vale don’t read much of Lawrence’s work, because if they agreed with his point of view the past 30 years of development in that suburb may not have taken place.

Three decades after its establishment the Canning Vale Industrial Estate is virtually 100 per cent sold, and a second generation of development is taking place on several sites.

Planning for the industrial estate began in 1955 when Canning Vale was identified in the Metropolitan Regional Scheme for its future potential to accommodate industrial development.

The land was acquired throughout the 1970s and 1980s by the Industrial Land Development Agency (ILDA), which became one of the agencies that formed LandCorp in 1992.

Swan Brewery was the first major business to establish itself in the estate, followed by Market City. Both left prominent sites to make the move and, importantly, both have since been redeveloped. (Apartments and a restaurant occupy the original building on the Swan Brewery Site, while Harbour Town shopping centre was recently opened on the market site in Wellington Street.)

The City of Canning has worked closely with LandCorp in developing the 600-hectare industrial area. Strict design, landscaping and aesthetic controls have resulted in a visually impressive estate, which is considered a trendsetter in terms of industrial land.

LandCorp CEO Ross Holt commended the decision in the 1950s to make provision for such a large industrial estate.

“Perth is a late developer compared to places like Sydney and Melbourne, where industrial estates are being recycled,” he said.

“Canning Vale has undergone a very thorough planning process and has a diversity of product to meet diversity of demand.

“Over the past 30 years, the Canning Vale Industrial Estate has become a microcosm for planning and development in Western Australia.”

City of Canning Mayor Dr Michael Lekias said the entire industrial estate was arguably the “most aesthetically pleasing industrial area in WA, if not Australia”.

Knight Frank Director of commercial and industrial land, Martin Reeson, has been involved in selling land in Canning Vale since 1989. He estimates that, when he began selling in the area, the standard price was $40 a square metre.

“Similar land is now selling for $110 a square metre, with smaller lots going for around $150 a square metre,” Mr Reeson said.

He also suggested Canning Vale could be considered Perth’s premium industrial estate.

He attributed this to several factors, including strict design guidelines, excellent road connections, and proximity to the transport and logistics hub of Kewdalde/Welshpool.

Almost 10,000 people are employed by the businesses located within the industrial estate.

Some of the estate’s tenants include the Coles Distribution Centre, FAL, Telstra, BGC, Arnotts, BOC Gases, Kailis Brothers, Canning Vale Weaving Mills, Geroge Weston Bakeries, Swam Brewery, LG, Market City and Mitre 10.

The industrial sector’s growth during the past 15 years has been matched by an increasing demand for residential development.

“There will always be some conflict when residential and industrial are located in reasonable proximity to each other,” Dr Lekias said. “However, when differences have occurred, they have been resolved with all parties conferring, rather than through confrontation and conflict.”

There are three different classifications of industrial estate – heavy, general and special. Heavy industry, such as in Kwinana is separated from residential areas for obvious reasons. Areas zoned for general industry (such as Canning Vale) are most likely to be harmonious with residential housing.

Within the Canning Vale industrial area there are several different precincts with a diversity of product to ensure a variety of needs can be accommodated.

The Canning Vale Business Park is the premier area and features strict building regulations, the garden precinct contains smaller lot developments, while the other precincts generally accommodate larger lots.