That is the message Melville Mayor Russell Aubrey intends to deliver at the Your Business Our Future forum on June 1.
Held in conjunction with the Melville Cockburn Chamber of Commerce (MCCC), the event is an opportunity for both existing and prospective business owners to learn about and contribute to the long-term vision for the City.
Property developers and business owners can also familiarise themselves with zoning changes in the soon-to-be gazetted Local Planning Scheme 6, which lays the groundwork for major activity centres at Murdoch, Canning Bridge and Garden City.
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READ NOWCr Aubrey said Melville could eventually function as a second Perth CBD, with residents no longer forced to travel north of the river for work or entertainment.
“We’re going from a sleepy suburban Melville to a far more vibrant city,” he said.
“We are anticipating a big increase in our population, and not only that but a concentration of our population into higher density living in areas around transport hubs like Canning Bridge and Murdoch train stations. Melville’s population is tipped to grow by 50 per cent by 2050, with 18,000 new homes built in that time.
“Businesses follow population and transport links, and that is what is being provided in specific areas. High density housing will move to those |locations, protecting family areas for families to enjoy in a traditional way.
“But there will also be major centres in the city for us all to enjoy, whether it’s a location to work or the recreational and hospitality components that will be on offer.”
MCCC president Tony Romano threw his support behind the notion that Melville could obtain CBD-like status.
“These sorts of activity centres are in line with the State Government’s long-term planning and add a terrific sense of vibrancy to a city,” he said.
“I’m behind anything we can do to foster the kind of arrangement where you live and work in the same area |because that lifestyle has huge personal and family benefits.”
Cr Aubrey said the forum would help both new and existing business owners best capitalise on future development.
“For those people who are already handily located for these new opportunities in places like Canning Bridge and Willagee, they might want to look at expansion,” he said.