Business partners Mike Keiller and Michael and Ben Rasheed developed their brewery proposal after being named the preferred tender and received a conditional liquor licence in 2009, the same year the State Government enforced tougher conditions in the precinct to tackle ongoing violence in Northbridge.
Mr Keiller, NBC director and Business Improvement Group of Northbridge (Big N) chairman, supported the restrictions at the time and last week told the Guardian Express that anti-social crime had been declining over the past three or four years.
‘It’s just the way of the world,’ he said. ‘It’s a tougher industry to operate in now.
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READ NOW‘This (the brewery) is just another attraction that’s got other appeal to what Northbridge is delivering. It’s always been about late night entertainment, bands and clubs but now there’s a more diverse offering.’
City of Perth Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi said that in the past, people had associated Northbridge more with nightclubs and the younger generation but the council had focused on improving the daytime economy as well.
‘The council wanted to create a family-friendly people hub at the Northbridge Piazza and we have been successful with that,’ Ms Scaffidi said.
Ms Scaffidi said a curfew and tougher licensing conditions had contributed to decreasing anti-social crime statistics in Northbridge, along with a wider range of dining and small bar options, the State Theatre Centre and revitalised Cultural Centre.
A WA Police spokeswoman said while there had been some improvements to the general amenity of Northbridge, like all entertainment precincts, the area remained a focus for police.