The north shore of Perth Water on the Swan River frontage to the city of Perth in Western Australia has been frequently changed since the arrival of Europeans in 1829. Various forms and structures have appeared and been removed over the last 190 years. Jetties, ports and various forms of reclamation have moved the shore considerably into Perth Water. The main eras of reclamation were in the 1870s, 1900s, 1920s-1937, 1955–1959, and 1967. [1] [2]
Since the 1980s various proposals have been mooted by government and others to redevelop the foreshore area. These proposals are sometimes referred to as the Perth waterfront developments and have generally focused on areas around Barrack Square and the Esplanade Reserve.
The proposals are often characterised by opposition arguing that structures and facilities in the developments would create increased separation of the central business district from the river, further reducing access to the amenity. [3] Conversely, others argue that the city/river vista to motorists along Riverside Drive would be spoiled. Some proposals have included traffic tunnels or land bridges to enable the city to "re-attach" to the river.
The laying of Riverside Drive as a subsistence project in 1937 provided an opportunity for the City of Perth to negotiate for control of the entire foreshore, which had previously been managed by the State Gardens Board. [4] Designed as a boulevard, the Drive encouraged tourists and Perth residents alike to travel along the river, in a 20th-century version of the 18th and 19th century tradition of promenading. [5] Riverside Drive was widened when works on the Mitchell Freeway interchange commenced in the late 1950s. [6] In the early 1960s, a proposal to build a major freeway along the foreshore was being prepared by consultants for the Main Roads Department. Perth City Council, town planner Paul Ritter and others argued that traffic volumes didn't warrant the plan, and that the new north–south freeway system was adequate. Visiting architect Theodore Osmundson suggested in 1968 that the city ring freeway project being considered would "encircle[s] the city like an iron collar [which] can only eventually choke the central city to death". [7] Riverside Drive was further modified in the 1970s to provide access to the Mitchell Freeway and again in the late 2000s as part of the sinking of the railway to William Street.
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CityVision 1988 | |
City of Perth 2005–2030 | |
Landcorp 2009 | |
2012 proposal | |
City Gatekeepers (2012) |
CityVision is an urban planning think tank and advocacy group. [8] In 1988 it published its first foreshore redevelopment scheme, which included a focus on development along Langley Park to the east, as well as a number of pedestrian overpasses crossing Riverside Drive.
The CityVision group has submitted a number of other designs for public discussion since then.
In December 1990, Premier Carmen Lawrence announced plans for an international design competition for a foreshore redevelopment. [9] [10] The competition had a first prize of $50,000, which was awarded to U.S. design firm Carr, Lynch, Hack and Sandell.
The winning design included a cable car from Barrack Street to Mount Eliza and Kings Park.
A 2004 plan endorsed by the City of Perth in 2005 titled "Western Foreshore Scenario 2 – City of Perth 2005–2030" shows a more westerly development towards the Narrows Bridge with minimal realignment of Riverside Drive. [11]
In February 2008, Premier Alan Carpenter announced plans for a $300 million redevelopment including multiple high-rise buildings with joint private and public funding. [12]
The proposal included realignment of Riverside Drive.
He stated that work would start before 2012 if his government was re-elected. The opposition leader Colin Barnett objected to the plans, saying "people did not want skyscrapers on the city foreshore and the plan would create an exclusive enclave for corporations and rich apartment owners". [13]
The Carpenter government was defeated at the 2008 election.
In February 2011 Premier Colin Barnett and Perth Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi confirmed plans for a new project and funding, which included $270 million from the 2011/12 state budget. [14] [15] The project included construction of an artificial inlet to replace Esplanade Reserve, and modifications to the surrounding environs including Barrack Square. Nine large building sites will be constructed for residential apartments, commercial offices and retail space.[ needs update ]
The Swan River is a major river in the southwest of Western Australia. The river runs through the metropolitan area of Perth, Western Australia's capital and largest city.
The Kwinana Freeway is a 72-kilometre (45 mi) freeway in and beyond the southern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, linking central Perth with Mandurah to the south. It is the central section of State Route 2, which continues north as Mitchell Freeway to Clarkson, and south as Forrest Highway towards Bunbury. A 4-kilometre (2.5 mi) section between Canning and Leach highways is also part of National Route 1. Along its route are interchanges with several major roads, including Roe Highway and Mandjoogoordap Drive. The northern terminus of the Kwinana Freeway is at the Narrows Bridge, which crosses the Swan River, and the southern terminus is at Pinjarra Road, east of Mandurah.
The Mandurah line is a commuter railway and service on the Transperth network in Western Australia that runs from Perth south to the state's second largest city Mandurah. The service is operated by Transperth Train Operations, a division of the Public Transport Authority. The line is 70.1 kilometres (43.6 mi) long and has 12 stations. At its northern end, the line begins as a continuation of the Joondalup line at Perth Underground, and ends as a continuation of the Joondalup line at Elizabeth Quay. The first 1.3 kilometres (0.81 mi) of the line is underground, passing under the Perth central business district. The line surfaces and enters the median of the Kwinana Freeway just north of the Swan River. It continues south down the freeway's median for 30 kilometres (19 mi), before veering south-west towards Rockingham. The final stretch of the line goes south from Rockingham to Mandurah.
The Mitchell Freeway is a 41.6-kilometre-long (25.8 mi) freeway in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, linking central Perth with the city of Joondalup. It is the northern section of State Route 2, which continues south as Kwinana Freeway and Forrest Highway. Along its length are interchanges with several major roads, including the Graham Farmer Freeway and Reid Highway. The southern terminus of the Mitchell Freeway is at the Narrows Bridge, which crosses the Swan River, and the northern terminus is at Romeo Road in Alkimos, a suburb within the City of Wanneroo.
The Narrows Bridge is a freeway and railway crossing of the Swan River in Perth, Western Australia.
Perth Water is a section of the Swan River on the southern edge of the central business district of Perth, Western Australia. It is between the Causeway to the east, and Narrows Bridge to the west – a large wide but shallow section of river, and the northern edge of the suburb South Perth. It is considered a landmark of the City of Perth.
Barrack Street is one of two major cross-streets in the central business district of Perth, Western Australia. Together with St Georges Terrace, Wellington Street and William Street it defines the boundary of the main shopping precinct of the central city.
Barrack Square is an open public square on the foreshore of Perth Water on the Swan River, located at the southern end of Barrack Street near the central business district of Perth, Western Australia.
William Street is a suburban distributor and one of two major cross-streets in the central business district of Perth, Western Australia. Commencing in western Mount Lawley, its route takes it through the Northbridge café and nightclub district as well as the CBD.
Barrack Street Jetty is located on the edge of Perth Water on the Swan River in Perth, Western Australia. It is no longer used on the Transperth ferry service between the Perth central business district and South Perth, having been replaced on that service with Elizabeth Quay Jetty.
Mounts Bay Road is a major road in Perth, Western Australia, extending southwest from the central business district along the north bank of the Swan River, at the base of Kings Park.
The East Perth Power Station is a disused power station in East Perth, Western Australia. For most of its life it was coal-fired, but ran on oil for six years. The site consists of a complex of industrial buildings occupying more than 8.5 hectares, bounded by East Parade, Summers Street, the Swan River and the Graham Farmer Freeway.
The East River Greenway is an approximately 9.44-mile-long (15.19 km) foreshoreway for walking or cycling on the east side of the island of Manhattan on the East River. It is part of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway. The largest portions are operated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. It is separated from motor traffic, and many sections also separate pedestrians from cyclists. The greenway is parallel to the Franklin D. Roosevelt East River Drive for a majority of its length.
The Esplanade Reserve in Perth, Western Australia, was a heritage listed public space between Perth Water and the Perth central business district. The public space was resumed by the Western Australian state government in April 2012 as part of the Elizabeth Quay redevelopment of the Perth waterfront area.
Riverside Drive in Perth, Western Australia, is a road on the northern side of Perth Water. It was built on reclaimed land in the 1930s, and links The Causeway to the Narrows Bridge.
Elizabeth Quay is a mixed-use development project in the Perth central business district. Encompassing an area located on the north shore of Perth Water near the landmark Swan Bells, the precinct was named in honour of Queen Elizabeth II during her Diamond Jubilee.
The Black Swan was the first bucket dredge used by the Swan River Colony to make its rivers more suitable for shipping. The dredge was operational from 1872 to 1911, when it was scuttled. Initially known as the Government Dredge, it was renamed after being repaired and modified between 1887 and 1888. The dredging carried out by the Black Swan and other vessels had a significant impact on the river fauna and flora, including the black swans for which it was named.
The Perth Freight Link was a proposed $1.9 billion project in Perth, Western Australia to improve the road freight link between Kewdale and Fremantle Harbour. The project was announced by the state government in May 2014, but was cancelled following a change of government at the March 2017 state election.
The Museum of Perth is a private, non-profit museum located in the Atlas Building, 8-10 The Esplanade, in Perth, Western Australia. It aims to chronicle the social, cultural, political and architectural history of Perth.
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