Bayswater Town Centre Structure Plan

At its meeting on 23 August Council adopted an extensive engagement plan that will seek to capture the community's vision for the Bayswater Town Centre.

Mayor Barry McKenna said it was vital that the community remained informed and was given every opportunity to provide input into the redevelopment of the Bayswater Town Centre.

"This Council has renewed its commitment to consulting with the community on issues that affect them. We have proved this through the adoption of our Let's talk - Community Engagement Strategy."

"We are now in a position to have a real conversation with business owners, residents and community members so that a shared vision for the Bayswater Town Centre can be achieved."

"The feedback we receive will inform the Bayswater Town Centre's Structure Plan and pave the way for the redevelopment of the Bayswater Town Centre as a vibrant, community friendly space boasting attractive alfresco areas, shopping, dining and entertainment opportunities."

"We are also working with the State Government to see how best we can integrate the Bayswater Train Station into the town centre and explore attractive higher density living options."

"We want to have an open discussion with our community about their expectations for the future of the centre, how its unique characteristics can be preserved and enhanced and how the centre can accommodate an increased level of activity and a larger local population."

Mayor McKenna said the engagement process will enable the City to canvass a wide range of views from various sections of the community.

As part of the Community and Stakeholder Plan, the City will establish a Community Advisory Group. Focus groups and visioning workshops will be conducted to allow the City to develop a range of possible scenarios for consideration by the community.

The City's dedicated community portal, Engage Bayswater, will also contain information on how the community can get involved. Information will also be included on the City's website, advertorials and publications.

"In working together we hope to see the transformation of the Bayswater Town Centre for all to enjoy," Mayor McKenna said.

The City of Bayswater has appointed Perth based planning consultants TPG to begin work on preparing a structure plan for Bayswater town centre.

West Ward Councillor Stephanie Coates welcomed the appointment and described it as a good first step in putting the right planning provisions in place to guide how the Bayswater town site develops into the future.

"Preparing the structure plan will involve extensive community consultation, which means local ratepayers, residents and business owners will have a say on planning for the future of their area," she said.

"It will help ensure that heritage and character values are preserved for the future; that developments are appropriate in terms of design, scale and location; and that we create walkable neighbourhoods featuring high quality urban design."

"The structure plan will also look at how all of the town's transport connections work and support each other.

"That involves considering pedestrian and cycle routes, the local road network, parking provisions, and integrated public transport that sees bus and train services working together."

Councillor Coates said that the State Government's Forrestfield Perth Airport Link rail project that is due to get underway later this year has major implications for Bayswater town centre.

"It will definitely put pressure on the Bayswater town site and its rail station, and make it increasingly attractive to prospective developers," she noted.

"That makes it doubly important that we start consulting with the community on the structure plan as soon as possible.

"This is a once in a generation opportunity to involve the community in guiding the development of Bayswater town centre for years to come," Cr Coates added.

Preparing the Bayswater town centre structure plan is expected to take approximately nine months.

The City of Bayswater has brought forward plans to begin work on developing a structure plan for Bayswater town centre to this financial year.

City Mayor Cr Barry McKenna says the structure plan is needed sooner rather than later to take account of the impact of the State Government's Forrestfield Perth Airport link project on Bayswater train station and the adjacent town site.

"Developing a structure plan will typically take up to 12 months, but the City will be engaging consultants to try to fast track this important body of work to within 6-9 months, whilst also ensuring we consult with our community," he said.

The structure plan will provide a broad planning framework that will guide the future development of Bayswater town centre and also look at how different parts of the town centre connect through its roads, footpaths and cycle ways. It will also consider the need for public spaces, parks and reserves, recreation opportunities, car parking, shops and cafes.

"The City regards the airport rail link project as a potential catalyst for change that will unlock Bayswater town centre's potential to become an even more vibrant, successful and sought after place for people, businesses and visitors alike," Mayor McKenna noted, "and that is why having the structure plan in place is important."

The City is meeting with the Minister for Transport, Hon Dean Nadler, on 15 December to urge the State Government to fund a major upgrade to the Bayswater train station concurrently with work on the airport rail link.

"The rail link to the airport will have a major impact on Bayswater and deferring any upgrade to a later date is just not an option.

"We need to take account of the upgrade in our structure plan, so we want to know from the Public Transport Authority what they propose for the train station."

The City of Bayswater wants the State Government to look at upgrading the station's capacity and car parking, and how it links to the Bayswater town site and the rail station's integration with bus services.

"The City is excited about the potential of the structure plan and the airport link project for our community and Council has agreed to invest $120,000 in developing this planning framework for Bayswater town centre's future," Mayor McKenna said.

"The State Government needs to work with us by taking the Bayswater station upgrade forward now and that will be our message to the Minister."