The central business district of Perth, the capital of Western Australia, has numerous lanes, arcades and pedestrian malls. In 2007, the City of Perth documented 34 in the city centre, of which nine were owned (or partly owned) by the city, with the remaining 25 privately owned. [1]
The first plan of Perth, developed in 1829 by the Surveyor-General, John Septimus Roe, was a semi-regular grid pattern bounded by Mount Eliza to the west, wetlands to the north, with three principal streets running parallel to the Swan River and three streets running north-south. The original allotments ran through from street to street in a north-south direction so that properties generally had two frontages.
Following the completion of the central Perth railway station in 1881, the area bounded by William and Barrack Streets was consolidated as the commercial and retail centre of Perth. Banks, insurance buildings, professional and commercial offices were constructed at St Georges Terrace, along with businesses, shops and warehouses developed in Wellington, Murray and Hay Streets. A number of hotels and theatres were also built in this central area and large department stores, such as Foy & Gibson and Sandover established along the tram route and the shopping strip along Hay Street. Shopping arcades and passageways were also developed in this period, allowing people to move with ease through the increasingly busy Perth streets and providing spaces for additional commercial premises outlets within the narrow blocks.
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Eight lanes were documented by the City of Perth. The number with which a lane is denoted in the diagram is shown in brackets after the name of the lane.
The following arcades may be found in the city centre.
Arcades no longer extant are:
Pedestrian malls in the city centre and adjoining Perth Cultural Centre are:
The demolition of Perth's oldest cinema, the Grand Theatre destroyed a monument to an era and a family
