News
City of Perth's The New Northbridge
12 August 2013
While Northbridge has long been the cultural heart of Perth, exciting new developments throughout MRA’s New Northbridge project are adding to the buzz of this cosmopolitan neighbourhood.
The area’s character and rich history is being enhanced through the adaptive reuse of heritage buildings, innovative mixed-use development and a commitment to social and affordable housing.
The New Northbridge project’s strengths lie in its diversity and accessibility, the natural fusion of cultures and land uses. Its proximity to the CBD, public transport systems and major arterial roads encourages ongoing activity and investment.
MRA’s aim for New Northbridge is to create a safe, friendly and enjoyable environment for a growing community to live, work and play in. Before the project began, the area was used as a freeway reserve for 25 years. This led the surrounding area to become under-utilised and stale.
In 2000, a portion of the Graham Farmer Freeway was sunk, creating an underground tunnel and freeing up land for redevelopment. The resulting New Northbridge project area covers 27 hectares and is bounded by Newcastle, Aberdeen, Fitzgerald, Parry and Lord Streets.
The project’s objectives are:
• To enhance and protect the area’s heritage and cultural values through plazas, street names and public art, while optimising returns and providing land and property redevelopment opportunities.
• To promote the Transit Oriented Development benefits of New Northbridge, with particular emphasis on Perth’s free CAT (Central Area Transit) bus services, cycleways and pedestrian-friendly streetscaping.
• To transition the gap between the Northbridge entertainment area and the residential areas of Vincent and reintegrate it with established urban environments to the north and south.
• To provide an ongoing commitment to affordable housing with 10 to 15 percent of new land releases to be reserved for social and affordable housing.
• To attract visitors and businesses to New Northbridge, highlighting the lifestyle benefits of the culturally rich area and the proximity to the CBD.
Today, the project area is well-integrated with established urban environments to the north and south and has transitioned the gap between the Northbridge entertainment zone and the residential areas of Vincent. New Northbridge combines distinctive urban design with traffic-calming and streetscaping techniques that provide an attractive and functional environment, taking into account future growth.
