Perth Voice Interactive

Snooze City
ANY concept of a capital city that premier Colin Barnett might have had obviously ground to a halt with the controversial Elizabeth Quay.
For a real city, capital or otherwise, a 24/7 train service, as much as a cathedral, is par for the course, as City of Perth strives to be in the same league as London, Paris and New York, etc.
What people might want to do at night other than sleep seems, like many other relevant concepts, beyond the elderly Mr Barnett’s reasoning. One wonders, does he maybe encourage his bunch of cronies to call him “Co—lin”?
Bill Proude,
First Ave, Mount Lawley

A new life to Leederville
I AM writing in response to criticism from Andrew Parissis, the owner of the restaurant Siena’s of Leederville, concerning Vincent’s decision-making approach to Leederville Town Centre (Voice Mail, February 14, 2015).
Under the new council, we have made a very conscious decision to refocus our energy and resources to the renewing of our town centres. In my personal opinion, they were unloved for too long.
To date, Leederville has seen new public seating, trees, lighting, laneway revitalisation, art murals and the removal of fences around YMCA Skate Park (to allow free access from the town centre).
At the heart of the change, the new Oxford Reserve was expanded, with a new nature playground, viewing deck and raised lawn and seating areas.
The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive from ratepayers. The Oxford Reserve is now a welcoming space that is genuinely family-friendly, where many people come to meet and relax, whereas before it was an underutilised space.
There are further plans in the pipeline which will see more trees, seating and a major new pedestrian area at the intersection of Carr and Newcastle Street, which is scheduled to go out for consultation in the coming month.
At the heart of our council’s approach is the desire to encourage our town centres to become more people orientated, not built around cars. This concept is taking place around the world. There is a growing recognition that spaces that put people first enjoy significant economic, environmental and community benefits. In short, streets designed for people encourage more foot traffic which is in turn good for local business.
Issues such as car parking will continue to remain a significant challenge for our town centres until there is real investment in public transport at a state government level. People will use public transport when it is convenient and easy to use. Our urban villages do not belong to just one or two businesses but to the whole community; we all have a stake in ensuring they remain active and vibrant. Leederville is an inner-city town centre that should be host to a range of different events, from festivals, to the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade, music events and markets. Its closeness to the centre of Perth and location next to a train station makes it a perfect fit.
I accept there are those few vocal critics who disagree with this approach. It is absolutely their right to express their view point. But I believe the alternative, sitting back and doing nothing, risks our town centres becoming stagnant and lifeless, which has sadly occurred on other main streets in Perth.
John Carey
Mayor, City of Vincent

Zoom in to Zam and Zao
I RECEIVED a copy of the Perth Voice last week and had a look through some of it and I thought certain articles were really well written.
Normally, I wouldn’t approach with these kinds of suggestions, however, I’m going out on a limb here. I recently tried both Zambellis Pizza and Zao San (which are located next door to each other on Walcott Street) for the first time not too long ago. Both stores have historically been owned by unsuccessful businesses in the past, however, both these places are unbelievable. Particularly Zao San, as it has not only great food, but excellent service, something which small take-away places sometimes lack.
I don’t want the trend of unsuccessful businesses there to continue and I think it’s important for people in this area to know they don’t have to go outside of the local area to get great food. I feel people still shy away from looking at these places due to previous bad experiences.
People don’t need to go to the city or Beaufort Street. Whenever I ask anyone where they will go for take-away, I never hear either of these places mentioned. Zao San has a great Urban Spoon rating because people who do try it really like it and I am not the first person to try to give this place the praise it deserves.
For the record I have no affiliation with these places.
I don’t expect anything out of this, however, if you were looking for a place to try or a different avenue to explore as far as reviews are concerned, I’d highly recommend checking out Zao San (and Zambellis!). I think there will be a lot of interest from people in this area.
Ben Melville
Vacation student
The Ed says: OK Ben, we’ll put them on our list (and, next time you’re in there, suggest they take out some paid advertising in the Voice to help get the word out!). A heads up to Zambellis and Zao San—our reviewer will be coming when you least expect it.

Cubist Colin
MATTHEW DWYER’S “cute pic” (Voice, February 14, 2015) obviously a Picasso impression of Premier Colin Barnett, as any Perth city councillor might guess.
Aloysius Pepper (Sgt. ret.)
Queen’s Cres, Mount Lawley