Perth Voice Interactive

INGLEWOOD residents are being asked what they’d like to see replace the suburb’s former IGA supermarket.

“This valuable block should not be allowed to languish as vacant for too long,” says Maylands Labor MP Lisa Baker.

“The position makes it an ideal location for mixed use residential and commercial.”

Previous plans for an upmarket estate of apartments evaporated when the local property market cooled.

There’s now talk of new IGA, or even  an ALDI.

“Some community members have called for shared business space like That Space in Bayswater, others want green, public open space, others hope to see an new IGA,” Ms Baker says. “This is a great opportunity to reinvent Tenth and Beaufort.”

ALDI says it has “no immediate plans to expand business into the Bayswater region”.

by MARTA PASCUAL JUANOLA

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LOCALS who’ve long lived in the shadows of the Stirling Towers building say they’re now in the dark about the empty complex’s future.

For years the WA housing department has been talking about knocking down the eyesore. It’s been a hive of villainy, prostitution, drugs, and earned the moniker “Suicide Towers”.

On the weekend, street artist Mel McVee led a team of locals to brighten up hoarding around the building, leading at least one Voice reader Jessica Topping to wonder what’s happening with the place long-term.

“While I support any attempt to distract from this abandoned eyesore, the letter [from Housing about the art project] says nothing of what is to become of the towers or any timeframe for future decisions, plans or actions,” Ms Topping wrote.

Another reader told us they’d heard insider scuttlebutt the replacement building would be the same 12-storey height.

We got onto the department: commercial operations general manager Nigel Hindmarsh says it’s still working on “initial design concepts”.

We asked if a 12-storey tower was possible: “It would be premature to release design concepts and building heights that are still under discussion,” he replied.

“Housing will be in a better position to determine timeframes for demolition and redevelopment of the Stirling Towers site once feedback regarding its proposed concepts has been received from the City of Vincent.”

He confirmed that any replacement won’t all be public housing: “Any proposed development on the site will include a mixture of housing types and tenure including affordable shared equity sales, full owner-occupied sales as well as a reduced proportion of public housing.”

Vincent mayor John Carey is yet to see designs but he’s writing to Housing urging it to consult early before plans are set in stone.

“It is the wrong way to simply come out with a proposal and surprise the community,” he says.

“It’ll create a conflict environment and people will be unhappy about it. They’ve been warned by the [Vincent] planning team: show basic respect and engage the community early.”

Ms Topping is also concerned the tower will end up home to squatters if left empty too long. The Voice’s easy entry to take photos confirms it isn’t exactly secure. Mr Hindmarsh says Housing will keep locals in the loop.

by DAVID BELL