BELMONT’S so-called Golden Gateway, a pocket of land between Ascot racecourse and Great Eastern Highway, is set to undergo a long-term transformation to significantly bolster the number of people living in a vibrant precinct of residential and mixed-use development precinct.
Among the most significant changes in the area’s draft local structure plan, which was endorsed for advertising last month by the City of Belmont, are hopes for Daly Street to become a cosmopolitan main street with a small local shopping centre and for the roundabout at Stoneham Street and Resolution Drive to be moved closer to Ascot Racecourse.
Resolution Drive would be realigned accordingly to open up the precinct, which the City of Belmont predicts could one day accommodate about 3000 dwellings and more than 7000sq m in commercial and retail floorspace and feature more concentrated living around the highway.
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READ NOWBut the draft plan contains only a small amount of public open space – just 3.47 per cent of the total area, much less than the 10 per cent required.
A council report said it should be noted the area was close to other public open space locations, including the Swan River foreshore, Ascot Waters, Centenary Park and the Belmont Trust land.
The council will embark on a major public advertising strategy in the coming four months, including a mailout to all local residents and ratepayers, hosting a community information session in Ascot, advertising signboards near the roundabout and on Epsom Avenue, brochures and a social media campaign.
It could have taken this step as far back as August but delayed the process to produce a plan for consultation for beyond statutory requirements.
Belmont seeks more community input for Golden Gateway
Belmont Cr Robert Rossi said the comprehensive approach was vital, as was the need to understand that the structure plan endorsed by council was a draft only.
“It is also important to note that any landowner can right now at any moment redevelop their land and there is nothing that council can do to stop this, so developing a more structured approach benefits everyone in the area,” he said.
“We cannot just put our heads in the sand and deny that Great Eastern Highway is designated by the State Government as an Urban Transport Corridor, which means it is a major road into the CBD.”
Under the State Government’s Perth and Peel @ 3.5m strategy population within the City of Belmont is set to increase from 37,360 to 60,260 by 2050.
The Golden Gateway area, bound by Great Eastern Highway, the Swan River, Resolution Drive, Grandstand Road, the Ascot Racecourse southern boundary, Carbine Road and Hardey Road, was identified as far back as 2008 as a key strategic area. Planning for the local structure plan started in 2015.
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