The team behind the ‘Guildford Activate’ redevelopment recognise the changing Perth urban landscape and hope to follow in the footsteps of similar area’s Cannington, Armadale and East Perth, and other heritage redevelopments such as the new Maylands apartments on the Ross’ Auction site, the historic Raffles and Steve’s Hotels. We are proposing a high density development within the Guildford town centre to offer more affordable housing options and to better utilise the adjacent Guildford Train Station. The development will be assisting the City of Swan meet the need to house their growing population and the WA government’s accommodation requirements in relation to the Future Directions 2031 Planning Policy to reduce urban sprawl whilst remaining committed to rebuilding the historical landmark Guildford Hotel.
The owners hope the news will be well received well by most, with other recent reports in The West Australian that young families and professionals are being priced out of the city and that density living near train stations ‘would be more opportunities for professionals to find a reasonable place to live.’ Said Dr Renne, an associate professor of urban initiatives at the University of New Orleans.
Also reported in the article by The West Australian, Curtin’s sustainability professor Peter Newman said affordable housing in modern cities meant going up, while Perth was stuck “going out”. Most people could see this and developers planned high-rise developments but they were stopped because a few strident people violently objected to anything over two storeys and politicians listened to them. “We are driving our city into being globally uncompetitive,” he said in the article.
The new mixed use retail and housing development is proposed for the rear of the Guildford Hotel site, designed to complement the beautiful old Hotel building, which is indisputably the hero of the town. The new building has been sensitively designed and set back from the Hotel. Cues for the height of the podium to the development have been taken from the Hotel, with a mix of residential apartments setback from the street above podium level. Feasibilities are ongoing to determine the final layout and design of the apartments and the outcome of these feasibilities will determine the final height of the building. Retail and hospitality outlets at ground floor pedestrian level are proposed to create a piazza style culture and atmosphere, a place for people to meet, shop, eat and socialise – reinvigorating the Guildford community and creating a central hub of village life and activity and connectivity.
Owners of the site have already begun works rebuilding the original hotel, with graffiti removed, the site levelled and cleared and a new roof that will enclose the building soon to start construction. A lease has been acquired for the Hotel by The Publican Group and the goal is to be in by Christmas 2015.
Owner Luke Martino is keen for the community to see the benefits of the project ‘everyone behind the scenes is working as hard as they can to keep the momentum of the project moving forward.” We understand there will always be a small number of the community that will oppose the development, but we hope that most people will see that this development can only help to invigorate the Guildford community and provide new affordable housing options within Guildford. We are committed to being transparent and open and allay any fears the community may have. To this end we have created a website which will be continually updated with progress and updates and we have actively engaged the council and community, with a meeting taking place this Wednesday 5 November 2014, with the City of Swan, members of the ‘Save the Guildford Hotel’ and other Guildford Community Groups and further discussion at the next council meeting.
Further reading / Referenced for this article
https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/25372224/170k-family-priced-out-of-perth/