Activity Centre Planning Strategy

Shopping precincts and industrial areas play an important part in shaping our community. They are community focal points, attracting people for a variety of reasons, including to shop, work, study, and live. We call these areas activity centres.

It's important we make sure our activity centres stay up-to-date with community needs and reflect best practice planning. That's why we're in the process of creating our Activity Centre Planning Strategy, which guides the future planning, coordination, and development standards of our activity centres, and replaces our 2008 Local Commercial Strategy.

After extensive community consultation, we've taken what you told us was important and incorporated it into our Activity Centre Planning Strategy, which is also informed by a review of the current strategic planning framework, future economic trends, and analysis of best practice activity centre planning. It contains actions relating to zoning, movement networks, streetscapes, open spaces, and public art in and around activity centres.

The Strategy and Actions for each activity centre are based around the following themes:

  • Centre Context

    The context of the centre, such as its immediate surroundings or the role it plays in our community, informs the land uses and development standards of the centre and the surrounding area.

  • Movement

    Movement analyses the existing movement network - such as walking, cycling, and public transport - within and surrounding each activity centre, and details how to improve it.

  • Place

    Place focuses on the potential to improve the overall attractiveness of an activity centre through improvements to streetscapes, open spaces, meeting places, and public art.

Draft Activity Centre Planning Strategy Document Suite

Council has endorsed the final Strategy, which we are currently preparing for publication. In the meantime, you can access the interim Strategy as it was presented to Council in the Ordinary Council Meeting agenda for 27 February 2024.

The Activity Centre Planning Strategy is large in scope, covering 18 existing and three future activity centres. For simplification, the Strategy is broken up into two parts:

  • Part One: An overarching, holistic look at the strategy, including background information, outcomes from community consultation, and its broad vision, objectives and strategies.
  • Part Two: An in-depth analysis of each activity centre, including actions and an implementation table.

We've further broken up Part Two, providing a single Activity Centre Planning Strategy and Action document for each activity centre.

Draft documents for each centre are provided in the tabs below, organised around where they sit in the State Planning Policy 4.2 activity centre hierarchy.

Secondary

Secondary Centres are multipurpose centres that contain a diversity of uses, and provide important economic and community services. They typically include department stores, supermarkets, speciality shops, offices, professional and service-based businessed. Belmont Town Centre, which includes Belmont Forum and Reading Cinemas, is the only Secondary Centre in the City of Belmont.

Belmont Town Centre is located within the suburb of Cloverdale, and is bound by Abernethy Road, Fulham Street, Knutsford Avenue and Wright Street.

The Centre has been operating as a major commercial hub for approximately 50 years and is a focal point of the City of Belmont. The Centre is characterised by one main building which contains a range of businesses internally and a number of smaller buildings containing numerous tenancies. Immediately surrounding the Belmont Town Centre there are a range of businesses and residential properties that assist in supporting the Centre’s function and operation.

The Belmont Town Centre has steadily grown over time and in a Retail Needs Assessment prepared for the City, it has been identified that the Centre will be required to more than double in size by 2036. The Town Centre presents opportunities to be a vibrant regional hub for the City of Belmont community, providing a range of retail and entertainment offerings in addition to containing housing options.

Download the draft Activity Centre Planning Strategy and Actions for Belmont Town Centre.

Neighbourhood

Neighbourhood Centres provide for daily and weekly household shopping needs, contain community facilities and convenience services, and provide meeting places for social interaction. They typically include supermarkets, personal services, convenience shops, restaurants and cafes. There are three existing and one future Neighbourhood Centre within the City of Belmont.

Belvidere Street Neighbourhood Centre is located within the suburb of Belmont, fronting both sides of Belvidere Street between Leake Street and Somers Street. Belvidere Street Neighbourhood Centre has been operating as a commercial centre for over 50 years. The Centre currently contains approximately 2,958 square metres of retail commercial floorspace.

The Centre acts as a focal point for the surrounding community. A range of land uses located within the Centre offer a variety of goods and services including, an anchor supermarket, restaurant/cafes, specialty shops and medical services.

The built form of the Centre has remained largely unchanged since the 1980’s, with limited growth in the total commercial floor area. The Centre presents opportunities to act as a vibrant hub for the surrounding residents.

Download the draft Activity Centre Planning Strategy for Belvidere Street.

Eastgate Neighbourhood Centre is located within the suburb of Rivervale, with frontages to Fitzroy Road, Great Eastern Highway and Kooyong Road. The Centre currently contains 1,718 square metres of retail commercial floorspace.

The Centre sits on a large single lot and offers a variety of goods and services to the community, including a supermarket. The built form is surrounded by parking and primarily addresses Great Eastern Highway with limited visual surveillance afforded to the Kooyong Road and Fitzroy Road streetscapes.

Download the draft Activity Centre Planning Strategy for Eastgate.

Kooyong Village is located centrally within the suburb of Rivervale, bounded by Francisco Street, Gerring Court, Kooyong Road and Wilson Park. Kooyong Village has been operating as a commercial centre for 70 years, steadily growing over time. The Centre currently contains 2,267 square metres of retail commercial floorspace.

The Centre currently reflects a traditional main street design, with shops fronting Kooyong Road. A range of land uses presently located within the Centre offer a variety of goods and services to the community, including an anchor supermarket.

Kooyong Village has retained its traditional form with minimal change to the original facades of commercial tenancies. The Centre presents opportunities to act as a vibrant hub for surrounding residents while maintaining its sense of character and street appeal.

Download the draft Activity Centre Planning Strategy for Kooyong Village.

A new neighbourhood centre is proposed to be constructed within the Development Area 6 (Redcliffe Station Precinct).

In May 2020, the City of Belmont completed a Retail Needs Assessment (RNA) which provides an analysis of demographic, retail and employment trends and their impact on demand and supply of retail floorspace across the City of Belmont. The RNA highlighted the need for an additional 3,000sqm of retail floorspace within the Development Area 6 Precinct.

This retail floorspace is proposed to be accommodated within a new neighbourhood centre immediately adjacent to Redcliffe Station, and partly within the Perth Airport Estate. This is due to the Perth Airport Estate containing large expanses of land which are capable of accommodating a supermarket. It is anticipated that a range of smaller commercial tenancies and restaurant/cafes will be established surrounding the train station.

Download the draft Activity Centre Planning Strategy for Redcliffe Station Neighbourhood Centre.

Local

Local Centres provide daily convenience retailing and meeting places for social interaction. They typically include convenience stores, restaurants and cafes. There are nine existing and two future Local Centres within the City of Belmont.

The Ascot Local Centre is bound by Bulong Avenue, Coolgardie Avenue, Residential zoned land, and Great Eastern Highway, with the latter serving as the predominant/primary street frontage. The Centre comprises 16 lots in the ownership of eight different parties and contains two Medical Centres, Offices, a shop (chemist) and Consulting Rooms.

Buildings within the Local Centre are currently setback significantly from the adjacent road reserves with car parking dominating the street frontages. The built form addresses the large car parking areas with awnings providing a level of shelter.

Download the draft Activity Centre Planning Strategy for Ascot.

The Ascot Waters Precinct which is generally bound by Grandstand Road, Stoneham Street, Great Eastern Highway, and the Swan River, has the potential to accommodate a Local Centre. The potential Centre's location is 10 Marina Drive which currently contains a mix of commercial and residential land uses and is zoned 'Special Development Precinct’ under Local Planning Scheme No. 15.

The site is also subject to the provisions of Local Planning Policy No. 6 and the Local Planning Scheme allows the City to approve consulting rooms, fast food/takeaway, medical centre, studio, tavern, video store, shop, office, and restaurant as additional uses on the site. The 2008 Commercial Strategy acknowledged that the City had approved a small cafe and shop on a portion of 10 Marina Drive, Ascot.

While there is currently no shop or cafe in this location, a small local centre would be supported on this site.

Download the draft Activity Centre Planning Strategy for Future Ascot Waters Local Centre.

The Belgravia Street Local Centre is situated at the corner of Belgravia Street and Gabriel Street in the suburb of Cloverdale. It is located approximately 670m north-east of the Belmont Town Centre.

The Centre presents a main street design, with shops and businesses fronting Belgravia Street and Gabriel Street. These include restaurants/cafes, shops, medical facilities, and consulting rooms. The built form is characterised by relatively old single-storey commercial buildings with parking predominantly in the road reserves. Land surrounding the Centre is predominantly characterised by single houses and grouped dwellings, with a small number of multiple dwellings.

Download the draft Activity Centre Planning Strategy for Belgravia Street.

The Belmay Local Centre is located at the corner of Sydenham Street and Epsom Avenue in the suburb of Belmont. The Centre is located opposite the Belmay Primary School and approximately 150m south west of Redcliffe Park.

The Centre presents a main street design, with businesses fronting both Sydenham Street and Epsom Avenue. The Local Centre currently provides a limited range of goods and services, with the sole retail tenancy being a liquor store. Other land uses within the Centre include a single house, offices, a medical centre, and a place of worship.

Download the draft Activity Centre Planning Strategy for Belmay.

Belmont Square is a small local centre located at the intersection of Orrong Road and Oats Street in the suburb of Kewdale. The Centre is located approximately 350m south-west of Tomato Lake.

Belmont Square comprises two properties in separate ownership and associated parking areas. It includes two specialist retail stores (a pool shop and a baseball shop) and a take-away food outlet. Land surrounding the Centre is predominantly characterised by single houses and grouped dwellings, with a small number of multiple dwellings.

Download the draft Activity Centre Planning Strategy for Belmont Square.

The Epsom Avenue Local Centre is located in the suburb of Belmont approximately 1km from Perth Airport and 10km from the Perth CBD. The Centre has been operating since the 1950’s and currently contains 1,205m² of retail floor space.

The Centre is roughly divided into two segments with one portion containing buildings directly fronting Epsom Avenue, and the second half containing tenancies further setback from Epsom Avenue with car parking located out the front. Apart from the two-storey Trainwest building, the Centre comprises of single storey development.

There are a range of businesses located within the Centre which offer a variety of goods and services to the community including a deli, pharmacy, fish and chips shop, dentist, medical centre, real estate office, and an educational establishment. The Centre presents opportunities to act as a vibrant hub for surrounding residents through alfresco dining, public art and community spaces.

Download the draft Activity Centre Planning Strategy for Epsom Avenue.

The Francisco Street Local Centre is located on the corner of Francisco Street and Acton Avenue in Rivervale. The Centre is comprised of five lots which vary in size between 210m2 and 228m2. The lots are currently zoned ‘Commercial’ under the City’s Local Planning Scheme No.15 and accommodate a printing shop (previously a corner store).

Francisco Street Local Centre is not currently operating as a desirable or typical local centre, as it does not provide for the day-to-day needs of surrounding residents. Despite this, it is appropriate to maintain the site as a Local Centre and encourage redevelopment and/or land uses that meet the day-to-day needs of the local community.

Download the draft Activity Centre Planning Strategy for Francisco Street.

A new centre is proposed to be established within the Golden Gateway Precinct in Ascot which is bound by Great Eastern Highway, the Swan River, Resolution Drive (north), Grandstand Road (north), the south-eastern boundary of Ascot Racecourse, Carbine Street and Hardey Road.

The provision of a new centre in this location is identified and supported within the draft Golden Gateway Local Structure Plan. Contemporary planning principles support the provision of local convenience retailing and amenities clustered around public transport nodes and within walkable distances to housing. This has the potential to facilitate a reduction in the overall need to travel and promotes public and active modes of transport (walking and cycling).

Download the draft Activity Centre Planning Strategy for Golden Gateway.

The Love Street Local Centre is located in Cloverdale on the corner of Love Street and Firby Street. The Centre is one of the only centres in Belmont which is not located adjacent to a distributor road. This means it is less likely to benefit from passing trade when compared to other commercial areas.

The Centre presents a main street design, with shops and business fronting Love Street. The built form is characterised by relatively old single storey commercial buildings. Land surrounding the Centre is predominantly characterised by single houses and grouped dwellings, with a small number of multiple dwellings.

Download the draft Activity Centre Planning Strategy for Love Street.

The Springs is a redevelopment precinct situated at the western gateway to the City of Belmont. It comprises approximately 12.5ha of land bound by the Graham Farmer Freeway, Great Eastern Highway, Brighton Road and the Swan River.

Development within The Springs is guided by a Local Structure Plan, Detailed Area Plans (now called Local Development Plans), and a Local Planning Policy containing design guidelines.

A local centre has been identified within The Springs, on the corner of Great Eastern Highway and Brighton Road. A development approval has been granted by the Development Assessment Panel for a mixed-use development (currently under construction) on this site as discussed in subsequent sections of this Strategy. A small number of commercial tenancies are currently located on the ground floor of the adjacent property at 25 Rowe Avenue, Rivervale (Aloft Hotel site). Other developments within the precinct predominantly consist of Multiple Dwellings (apartments).

Download the draft Activity Centre Planning Strategy for The Springs.

The Wright Street Local Centre is located in the suburb of Kewdale and fronts both Orrong Road and Wright Street, with the latter serving as the predominant frontage. The Local Centre consists of a range of goods and services, including a small liquor store, hairdresser, take-away food outlets, accountant and an assortment of other shops.

The Centre presents a main street design along Wright Street while 285 and 287 Orrong Road are characterised by a residential built form. A number of tenancies are also inward-facing toward the car parking areas. Land surrounding the Centre is predominantly characterised by single houses and grouped dwellings, with a small number of multiple dwellings.

Download the draft Activity Centre Planning Strategy for Wright Street.

Specialised

Specialised Centres have a focus on regionally significant activities, which generate a high volume of work and visitors to the area. They are typically characterised by a primary function. There are five Specialised Centres within the City of Belmont.

The Belmont Business Park is centrally located in the northern portion of the City of Belmont, bound by Daly Street, Fisher Street, Great Eastern Highway and Knutsford Avenue. The Belmont Business Park is a significant employment and activity generator, comprising a wide variety of land uses.

Download the draft Activity Centre Planning Strategy for Belmont Business Park.

Great Eastern Highway stretches along the northern portion of the City. The highway is a major activity generator within the City of Belmont, and provides a range of retail commercial, non-retail commercial, residential, and industrial land uses.

Download the draft Activity Centre Planning Strategy for Great Eastern Highway.

The Kewdale Industrial area is the City of Belmont's major industrial district and is acknowledged as a major strategic transport and logistics hub for the state. The area is located in the southern corner of the City of Belmont.

The broader Kewdale freight and logistics hub crosses over four local government areas, including the City of Belmont, City of Canning, City of Kalamunda, and the City of Swan. These local governments are involved in the Link WA alliance which is currently investigating the need to establish consistent planning frameworks in terms of zoning, land use permissibility and scheme provisions such as parking standards.

Download the draft Activity Centre Planning Strategy for the Kewdale Industrial Area.

Western Australia's main domestic and international airport (Perth Airport) makes up approximately 2,105 hectares and is predominantly located within the City of Belmont as visualised by Figure 1. The remainder of land is situated within the City of Swan and City of Kalamunda. Perth Airport plays a major strategic role in the operation of Western Australia and generates a significant employment base in the retail, airport operations, and freight and logistics sectors. Over time, a number of commercial/industrial clusters have formed on land under the care and control of Perth Airport.

The majority of land that comprises Perth Airport is reserved under the Metropolitan Region Scheme (MRS) as 'Public Purpose - Commonwealth Government'. Perth Airport is also identified as a specialised centre by State Planning Policy 4.2 - Activity Centres for Perth and Peel (SPP4.2).

Download the draft Activity Centre Planning Strategy for Perth Airport.

Redcliffe Industrial Area is located at the eastern boundary of the City of Belmont generally bound by Coolgardie Avenue, Dunreath Drive, Fauntleroy Avenue, Redcliffe Road and Great Eastern Highway. The area is characterised by a mixture of land uses with motor vehicle hire and sales businesses, low-scale service industry, and more intensive industrial land uses.

Download the draft Activity Centre Planning Strategy for the Redcliffe Industrial Area.