Why Revitalise?
What you, the community, say you want...
The most recent City of Bayswater Community Survey found the Bayswater Town Centre is
- The LOWEST rated of all town centres within the City of Bayswater.
- The LOWEST performing area (lowest out of all 44 survey areas).
Community surveys reveal that the Bayswater Town Centre is under performing, with:
- Empty and run-down shops buildings
- A lack of local services such as retail shops, medical and social services
- Local residents shopping and socialising in other town centres
- A lack of people living in close proximity to the town centre, which deters investment
Chapter 7 in the the Development WA METRONET EAST,Bayswater Redevelopment Strategy agrees:-
[Underlining emphasis by author]
7.1 DEVELOPMENTWA COMMUNITY
SURVEY OUTCOMES
DevelopmentWA’s community survey outcomes indicate a strong desire to improve the vibrancy and attractiveness of the town centre by increasing the range of land uses available. Community priorities included an enhanced urban tree canopy, the need to manage traffic flows and improve connections between north and south of the rail line.
There are concerns that the town centre lacks activity especially at night. The community has
indicated that redevelopment needs to focus on creating spaces that encourage social interaction, including civic spaces filled with attractive shade enhancing trees, increasing nightlife activity such as new small bars and restaurants, and art, creativity and culture uses to promote a café/bar culture.
The community also expressed the need to enhance the area’s resilience by further improving the local economy and providing greater choice for residents. This includes increasing the number of basic services, such as medical centres and banks, and significantly increasing commercial activity through the delivery of office space.
It was important that new development encourage walking and pedestrian activity and maintain the fine-grain scale of local shops. There is a general desire to ensure that activity and mixed-land uses are concentrated around and close to the station
thorough which run attractive pedestrian friendly streets lined with attractive shade providing trees.
VERDICT
The Bayswater Redevelopment Strategy survey outcomes concur with what the community has already said in the past.
It's important that the Design Guidelines respond to the strategy appropriately, and provide the real opportunities to make revitalisation happen.
We don't think they do. More information to come over the next series of blogs.
The town centre has suffered enough "reports" that lead no where, and leaves it to wither once again ...
HAVE YOUR SAY!
Leave your comments regarding the draft design guidelines on the
DevelopmentWA Comments Form HERE (final date 26th August )
Why not wait until you've read all the pros and cons over the next few weeks in the blogs.
We'll provide a summary as a final piece in the series.
Metronet East Bayswater Draft Design Guidelines can be found in full HERE.
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