New $1 billion Perth riverfront masterplan unveiled

City of Perth councillors have unveiled a bold $1 billion masterplan to redevelop the CBD’s riverfront to feature a lagoon, beaches, ferry stop and the greening of Langley Park.

The plan – spruiked as Perth’s version of Brisbane’s South Bank – would cover a 2.2-kilometre stretch along the Swan River from East Perth to the Supreme Court Gardens, but would require state and federal government buy-in and would take more than a decade to build if given the green light.

The City’s Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas said he had great confidence in the government seeing merit in the project, but comments from ministers so far have been less enthused.

When asked about the proposal at a press conference on Wednesday, Environment Minister Reece Whitby questioned whether the announcement was a political move to help Zempilas’ plans to enter the Liberal Party.

“It’s a bit late in the day to be flying a kite like this; at the 11th hour, to put out some pretty pictures and a billion-dollar pipe dream,” he said.

“What we need to know is, is this Liberal Party policy? Does Libby Mettam support it?

“In the last four years, the Lord Mayor’s had the opportunity to do things. He’s been a bit of a barrier to things ... he’s dropped this on everyone, without any costing or funding.”

The proposal includes planting 3000 trees at Langley Park as part of a greening project which would also see the development of sports facilities, walking trails, two hotels and a food and drinks precinct.

Zempilas told Radio 6PR the broader community view was that the space could be better utilised.

He said the project would also involve “downgrading” Riverside Drive, by taking it further away from the river’s edge and running it as a smaller connective road for residents.

“It probably is a 10 to 12-year project that can be done in stages. It could be done over 30 years. I’d like to see it done over a shorter period if indeed we decide we’re going to do it,” Zempilas said.

“We would add that connectivity to our river that our city has never really been able to embrace.”

Perth people have long criticised Langley Park. In 2018 when WAtoday ran a major series examining Perth’s attractions, missing pieces and branding issues, more than 2000 people responded to a comprehensive survey about our city.

The survey included a question asking them to ‘suggest a brand statement for Perth’ and readers struggled. Many skipped the question, saying they just couldn’t think of a way to promote Perth to visitors.

Multiple people noted that Langley Park was missing the mark. One suggested Perth’s “brand statement” should be “Perth: the city with a huge expanse of unused grass between your hotel and the river.”

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