PREMIER Colin Barnett last week told an audience at a Stirling Business Association luncheon he thought Stirling would become “a substantial sub-city within the metropolitan area”.
Mr Barnett announced that 11ha of land had been transferred to the WA Planning Commission at no cost to “kick start” development of the Stirling City Centre project. All proceeds from the eventual sale of the land would be “ploughed back into the necessary infrastructure”.
The Premier said the city centre project, which the Stirling Times will cover in detail next week, was “a bold vision” that was “starting to get some momentum”.
He said the planned relocation of government staff from the departments of Treasury and Training to Herdsman Business Park would benefit area businesses.
“There’ll be another 900 people there spending money, but also Treasury and Training bring government functions, which are very much business-related, closer to the local business community.”
He was also pleased council was looking to revamp Scarborough beach precinct.
“Scarborough and Cottesloe are the two best-known beaches in WA and, with due respect to those businesses that operate around here, it ain’t up to scratch,” he said.
“You can stand on the road and look out to the sea and across the beach, and it’s magnificent.
“But then you turn around and look the other way and it’s so, so disappointing.”
He said the City of Stirling was capable of undertaking major projects.