WA Planning Minister John Day yesterday signed off the Scheme Amendment for the project’s 13.5-hectare site, which marked the final stage of planning before the start of further development works and the release of land for sale.The minister was unavailable for comment when contacted by CIN this morning.Planning for the project, called the The Link, also includes: five new pedestrian friendly north-south connections; five urban plazas; a new civic space at the Horseshoe Bridge called Celebration Place; and three new mixed-use precincts including commercial, entertainment and residential opportunities. Day said in yesterday’s announcement that signing off the Scheme Amendment would provide the certainty required by industry to bring about investment in The Link. He said the first part of the project would involve the development of the Perth Arena-Milligan Street area on the western side of the site, which would be a premier sporting and entertainment hub. The precinct included the multi-million dollar Perth Arena and a significant state government landholding next to the arena being considered as the potential site for a premier hotel development.The Scheme Amendment is also expected by the state government to allow major landholder – and the only non-government landholder in The Link project area – Channel 7 to finalise its plans for the 2ha Perth Entertainment Centre site. Seven Network executive chairman Kerry Stokes said he was looking forward to working with the government in planning for the development of its site. “This is a terrific precinct in Perth and we are well-advanced in ensuring that the redevelopment of the Perth Entertainment Centre site is a positive for the development of the city and the people of Perth,” Stokes said. The Link is a partnership between the state government and the City of Perth. Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi welcomed the announcement and said the City of Perth was looking forward to moving the project forward. “The City of Perth has always been a strong advocate for sinking the rail line, which has been a barrier for the city’s growth for more than 100 years,” she said. “The City of Perth is giving up the lease to a large block of land and committing more than $33million cash to the project once completed.” John Day said that when completed, he expected The Link could create more than 1650 dwellings, housing more than 3000 residents, and 244,000 square metres of commercial and retail floor space for approximately 13,350 workers.
