PLACEnews June 2010 Issue 7
Riverside
Perth is one of Australia’s fastest growing cities. The population of Western Australia’s capital city is expected to double to 3.5million people by 2045. The work to transform the city to accommodate this growth is well underway with a coordinated program building Perth’s capacity, increasing intensity and activity in the city and redefining the city and how it is used. Riverside is one of EPRA’s six inner city projects currently underway that is addressing these objectives. It will transform the eastern gateway to the city providing an impressive entry that maximises the natural features including the Swan River and iconic “neighbours” including the Western Australian Cricket Association grounds (the WACA), the home of trotting in WA – Gloucester Park and Trinity College.
The 40hectare Riverside project is predicted to become home to almost 6,000 residents, 1,700 workers and offer retail and commercial businesses the chance to be located close to the CBD and within walking distance of the river.
The entire Riverside development is a 10 to 15 year project and is made up of eight precincts in total, each with their own character and design. In 2010, the Riverside project is really gaining momentum. Sales will commence on the flagship four hectare waterfront precinct in the coming months, works are underway on Fraser Suites Perth the first all-suite apartment hotel to be built in over 12 years in the area, and a number of design guidelines have been approved paving the way for land owners to submit their development applications and commence building.
In May 2006, EPRA sold six sites near the picturesque Queen’s Gardens, to leading international developer Frasers Property Group and local company TRG Properties Pty Ltd. The TRG development Sovereign Place was recently completed and includes 42 residential dwellings across a mixture of three storey townhouses and three to four storey apartments. Meanwhile, Frasers have begun construction of their 129 suite luxury hotel Fraser Suites Perth, which will provide much needed short-stay accommodation for our growing city. The entire Frasers development, which also includes residential and commercial, is expected to be completed in 2012.
The four hectare flagship waterfront precinct in Riverside will be offered to an international market in the coming months. The sales process will be competitive as this land release provides a rare chance to develop a mix of retail, residential and commercial right on the banks of the Swan River. It will also feature an outdoor public ‘swimming pool’ similar to Street’s Beach in Southbank, Brisbane and set high level sustainability benchmarks that the developers will need to adhere to. EPRA is expecting construction to commence mid-2012.
Riverside Master Plan, image courtesy of EPRA
