Bushmead estate being developed on site of former Hazelmere rifle range

DEVELOPER Cedar Woods has created a suburb, Bushmead, on Hazelmere’s former army rifle range, which it is developing into a housing estate.

Bushmead was named after the rifle range used for small arms practice since 1915, including training Australian troops headed overseas as part of WWII and the Vietnam War.

The residential estate sits between Midland Road, Sadler Drive and Ridge Hill Road, and is surrounded by 185ha of natural bushland.

“This historic announcement signals Bushmead as a distinct residential community, separated by bushland from the industrial heart of Hazelmere,” Cedar Woods WA manager Ben Rosser said.

“Bushmead will only be the second new suburb created in Perth over the past five years.

“This has come about due to the rapid growth in the area; more than 2000 residents are expected to call Bushmead home over the next decade.”

The eastern suburbs estate has the last remaining East Swan Coastal Plain forest complex.

Over the 10-year development window, the developer plans to rehabilitate about two-thirds of the most sensitive bushland before donating it back to the community.

“Local residents are strongly connected to this site and conserving the unique beauty and history of this area remains our foremost priority,” Mr Rosser said.

The City of Swan Council approved the name change in February 2016 and submitted it to the Geographic Names Committee at Landgate for approval.

Now under construction, Bushmead blocks range from 375sqm to 510sqm and cost a minimum of $278,000.