Mayor's Message

The stunning growth, development and vibrancy that now characterises the City of Armadale was a long way off when I first became a Councillor 22 years ago.

Up front we acknowledged that our local government could not bring about the degree of change that was necessary to achieve these goals without help from outside. We lobbied for, and were successful in getting assistance from the State government.

The resulting Armadale Redevelopment Authority has complemented Council’s efforts on a number of fronts. Our joint efforts have created an investment environment that has seen the revitalisation of interest in our beautiful region and we are now beginning to see the results.

Some of the more important developments over the last 10 years include:

  • The establishment of Harvey Norman
  • Development of the Armadale cinema complex to 6 cinemas
  • The extension of the Tonkin Highway through to Thomas Road moving most heavy haulage traffic out of our town centres;
  • Expansion of the Armadale Shopping City, and the parallel construction of the Armadale Central retail complex;
  • Construction of the International Rowing Course at Champion Lakes with its adjacent residential area;
  • Upgrades to both major shopping centres in Kelmscott and an extension of bulky goods and food / service offerings along Albany highway;
  • Makeover of the Roleystone shopping centre
  • New shopping centre being built at West Armadale
  • Creation of the Forrestdale Business Park
  • The new Armadale Library
  • A major revamp of public places in the Armadale CBD including installation of CCTV and lighting upgrades
  • Significant upgrades to local parks and sporting reserves, the latest being the $5 million works at Frye Park.

We are now seeing high quality homes, in great new estates with high quality public open spaces being established. The impact of residents in these new areas is the expansion of associated infrastructure such as retail shops, schools and transport routes.

Tens of millions of dollars that were once spent at Carousel and Booragoon are now being spent locally, strengthening local businesses and providing employment opportunities for locals. This has been further enhanced more recently through Sunday trading in the Armadale town centre.

This is an exciting time to live in our district and a time for me to bid farewell in my last weeks as Mayor before I retire.

 

Road upgrades - millions invested in Armadale

The City of Armadale is coordinating a series of major road and signal projects worth almost $30 million that will improve traffic flow, increase user safety and provide better connectivity across the region.

Among the projects scheduled to take place over the next 18 months are: the long-awaited Abbey Road-Railway Avenue realignment at Armadale Road, upgrades of sections of Warton and Nicholson Roads and dual carriageway works on Ranford Road adjacent to the new Forrestdale Business Park.

Armadale Mayor Linton Reynolds said he believed the roads initiatives would make a considerable difference for commuters.

"These projects are about making roads and intersections safer and easier to use," Cr Reynolds said.

(1) Abbey Road, Railway Avenue – Armadale
Works to realign Abbey Road and Railway Avenue at Armadale Road and install traffic signals.
Startingbefore the end of 2011, expected to take six months to complete.

(2) Tonkin Highway, Champion Drive – Champion Lakes
Installation of traffic signals at the Champion Drive, Tonkin Highway intersection.
Worksto be expected to be complete by end of 2011.

(3) Seville Drive, Armadale Road – West Armadale
Installation of traffic signals at Seville Drive and Armadale Road T-junction.
Starting before the end of 2011, expected to take six months.

(4) Warton Road – Piara Waters
Dual carriageway upgrade to 3km section of Warton Road between Armadale Road and Nicholson Road. Main Roads WA will upgrade the intersection, which will include traffic lights. Works 75% completed.

(5) Nicholson Road – Piara Waters
Upgrade 3.3km section of Nicholson Road between Armadale and Wright Roads to a boulevard style street which will be able to be upgraded to a 2 lane dual carriageway in the future.
Stage 1: Wright Road to Piara Drive works 40 per cent completed and expected to finish in 2012.
Stage 2: Piara Drive to Armadale Road provisionally programmed for 2013-14, based on population growth rates.

(6) Ranford Road – Champion Lakes
Dual carriageway works on Ranford Road between Tonkin Highway and Armadale Road, including new link to Twelfth Road/Armadale Road roundabout.
Starting:end of winter 2011, expected completion 18 months from start date.

Masters - a shot in the arm for local employment

Interview with Masters project leader, Malcolm Purcell

The massive 14,000 sq/m Masters Home Improvement store in Forrestdale is on track to open in February 2012, bringing with it exciting business development and employment opportunities.

Malcolm Purcell, whose company, Pride Projects, is managing the rollout of the Masters stores in WA, said the Forrestdale site was already attracting other national and local bulky good operators.

"The recent opening of the first Masters store in Braybrook, Melbourne has been an outstanding success and is proving a drawcard for other traders," Mr Purcell said.

"This concept fits ideally in Forrestdale with the Armadale region and surrounding suburbs growing very quickly. We think there will be a great deal of interest from local builders and real estate developers, as well as the general public, in what we’re doing."

Mr Purcell said the Forrestdale complex would be a "shot in the arm" for Armadale employment.

"We will be employing a lot of local people and training them as well.

"There will be an estimated 180 employees required for the Forrestdale store and overall around 300 in the entire complex."

Local advertising for positions with Masters will start in the near future.

Mr Purcell said he saw the Forrestdale Masters site, on the corner of Ranford and Lake Roads, as "a future Malaga of the south".

Pride Projects has worked extensively with the Armadale Redevelopment Authority and City of Armadale to move the development forward quickly.

It has been a positive experience, Mr Purcell said.

"The Redevelopment Authority have gone out of their way to help the business get off the ground and the City of Armadale has been tremendous in dealing with us," he said.

"They can see the benefits of a large employer coming into the area and have been very supportive."

The Masters brand is based around a promise of better quality, service and price for its large variety of home improvement products. The stores are air-conditioned and feature clear signage, ‘help buttons’ to call staff, high quality restrooms and special services for tradespeople.

It's huge! Bunnings opens biggest store in WA

This week saw the grand opening of the biggest Bunnings store in WA, in Armadale. With a footprint of 14,500m2, the newly opened store on Ranford Road, looks ready to take advantage of the steady housing growth and population increase in the region.

John Gillam, Managing Director of Bunnings said the new store is employing over one hundred staff who live locally and injecting $3 million in wages into the local community each year.

"Bunnings started 175 years ago, here in WA, by two brothers in Fremantle. The Bunnings team has grown this enterprise into where we are today. This is the 175th Bunnings store in Australia/NZ and in this store alone we have 45,000 product lines.

"We are looking forward to being part of Harrisdale and the wider Armadale community for many many years".

Olympic trials to take place at Champion Lakes

Two Olympic trials will take place at Champion Lakes this season, with the Open Swimming Championships and the Australian Rowing Championships taking place in February and March 2012 respectively.

Each event will see thousands of visitors and hundreds of participants from around the state and the country go head to head in Olympic swimming and rowing trials.

Ray Tame CEO City of Armadale said "There is a great opportunity for local businesses to sponsor these events to gain recognition and brand awareness during this time of high visitation.

"We have a unique offering in Armadale, with 7 day trading, fantastic day breaks and easy to access services.

"It is projected that 20,000 people will attend the Australian Rowing Championships and around 10,000 the Open Swimming Championships."

The Champion Lakes Regatta Centre is a world-class venue for rowing, canoeing, dragon boating, triathlon events and other national and international watersport competitions.

In addition to major national championship events, there are also numerous state events including Golden Spokes, duathlons, triathlons and open water swims, canoeing, dragon boat racing being held over this season at Champion Lakes.

Want to explore sponsorship? Contact Manager Leisure Services on 9399 0423 to have a discussion.

Surveyors award for Roy Goodger

He began his career as a bricklayer and this month received a prestigious Western Australian building surveyors’ award.

Roy Goodger, a building surveyor with the City for 21 years, was presented with the John George Award at the recent Australian Institute of Building Surveyors (AIBS) WA State conference.

The annual award recognises excellence in leadership, innovation, customer service, best practice and professionalism to the profession of building surveying.

City of Armadale CEO, Ray Tame, praised Mr Goodger’s dedicated service to the organisation and to his profession.

"The John George Award is a high honour and one Roy thoroughly deserves," Mr Tame said.

Satterley prepares for foray into feted Heron Park

Earthworks are about to begin on the highly-anticipated 1200 lot Satterley Property Group development at Harrisdale which will effectively be Heron Park Mark 11.

The already completed original Heron Park has been a brilliant, award-winning success celebrated for its beautiful open spaces, gardens and serene ambience. All 525 lots there were sold in just four years.

The 104 hectare extension will have these same qualities and when lots are offered for sale in the first quarter of 2012 strong buyer interest is expected. Expressions of interest are already being taken from potential buyers

Satterley has received structure plan approval for the entire site and the go-ahead for work to begin on Phase One which consists of 470 lots.

"Those buying into the new stages of Heron Park will enjoy the pristine environment that already exists in that part of Harrisdale with extensive bushland and open space, walkways, and hiking and bicycle trails alongside unspoiled waterways," Satterley chief executive Nigel Satterley said.

"The real bonus is that all Heron Park residents, old and new, will have access to additional infrastructure such as a new high school and new primary school and a planned district centre."

The initial earthworks are getting underway just as Heron Park receives its third prestigious industry award.

The Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) WA selected the estate as the winner of the 2011 Award for Urban Water Excellence. It received the institute’s Environmental Excellence award last year and the Water Corporation’s Management of Water Resources award in 2008.

In its citation, the UDIA said it acknowledged the challenges confronting the Heron Park developers in water management which had to be addressed in an aesthetic manner while adhering to sustainable practices using best design and management techniques.

"The new 104 hectares will be augmented into Heron Park, which is a magnificently-endowed estate with superb parkland, gardens and open spaces and a plethora of community facilities," he said.

"Heron Park is so good that it sold out more quickly than any other estate in the south east corridor.

"Our group has been developing in this area since the 1980’s and we have witnessed the spread of residential growth from Canning Vale through to Forrestdale and Harrisdale."

Mr Satterley said the success of the corridor could be attributed to a combination of.-

  • Affordability,
  • Exceptional land-home packages,
  • An attractive mix of rural and urban topography,
  • Access to freeway and public transport,
  • Established schools, medical services, shops, services and close proximity to the CBD, Fremantle and other employment hubs.

Despite its quiet rural setting Heron Park is only 20 kilometres from the Perth CBD and 10km from the Armadale Town Centre.

The Heron Park Estate sales manager is Ray Armstrong (0427 449 000) or go to raya@sattwerley.com.au.

New Building Act

As from October 31 new State legislation will be introduced to streamline Building Approval processes throughout the construction industry.

The new Building Act 2011 will enable applicants to apply to the City of Armadale for a Building Permit in much the same way as the current system operates or, alternatively, an applicant may elect to engage an independent Registered Building Surveyor to issue a Certificate of Design Compliance for a building design. The City of Armadale will still remain responsible for issuing the Building Permit for all applications within the municipality however processing times will be regulated.

The Building Act also establishes the requirement for Occupancy Permits to be issued for certain classes of buildings upon completion. Those buildings will necessitate an inspection to ensure they are constructed in accordance with the certified plans.

Officers of the City of Armadale Building Department are developing new processes in preparation for the introduction of the Building Act.

Highland Gathering

Western Australia's largest Scots-themed event, being held at Armadale's beautiful Minnawarra Park on Sunday 20 November is free to attend and boasts a huge range of fun activities for all the family.

Ever tossed a caber? Well the strong men will put on a show in heavy events such as putting the stone and wrestling.

There’s the hotly-contested pipe band competition, a massed pipe band procession, plus traditional country and highland dancing.

Kids will love the mock Gaelic battles at the Medieval Fair.

One of the major highlights will be the 21st annual Armadale Cycle Classic contested by a field of elite athletes around the challenging City centre, along with a supporting program of State Criterium Championship cycling events.

Armadale Mayor Linton Reynolds, who attends the Highland Gathering each year wearing the Armadale tartan kilt, said the Highland Gathering is always an entertaining day.

"The Highland Gathering is, without doubt, one of the most popular events the City of Armadale stages each year," Cr Reynolds said.

"Thousands of people from throughout Perth and the local area come to Minnawarra Park to enjoy the music, dancing, food, craft and sport that reflects much of Scottish culture.

"You certainly don't need a Celtic background to enjoy the free celebrations", said Cr Reynolds.

Page Last Reviewed 12 August 2019