Bayswater councillor Josh Eveson says this long-empty block is holding back Morley.

THE abandoned Russell Street Bunnings is holding back the Morley town centre according to Bayswater councillors who want the hardware giant to secure and spruce up the site.

Bunnings closed the site in 2020, save for the carpark which was briefly used as a drive-thru Covid testing point and later as a polling location in the 2022 federal election.

The block is opposite Morley Galleria and is a prime spot for redevelopment, being zoned for city centre uses such as offices, showrooms, retail shops, apartments or childcare centres.

Trespassing

Councillor Josh Eveson’s motion at the April 26 meeting called on mayor Filomena Piffaretti to write to the owner “to urgently request that they engage with the City, WA police force, department of communities, and other key stakeholders to determine a plan of action to address antisocial behaviour, trespassing, interim land use options and overall management of the site”.

“Morley is on the cusp of some very exciting things,” Cr Eveson said. “However the old Bunnings site continues to deteriorate.” 

Cr Eveson said it was “positioned in a key location to the Morley activity centre”.

He said they need to “ensure the landowners are active as we continue on the path to transform Morley”.

A couple of councillors queried whether there was actually much trouble going on, given a report by council staff only identified a small scattering of calls about trespassing.

Given the dearth of reports Cr Dan Bull said: “I don’t understand – other than grandstanding – what this motion is actually trying to achieve.”

Cr Eveson responded that not all crime was reported: “I have had business owners surrounding the old Bunnings site [who] have rung me and expressed concerns.

“There’s been some challenging times for a local business that’s directly adjacent,” with one complaint concerning a man loitering late one night with a machete. 

While acknowledging reported complaints were low, Cr Eveson said the area still needed a plan for the vacant site.

The site’s owner, Bunnings’ property arm BWP Trust, recently announced in January 2023 it had signed a three-year lease with the Australian Electoral Commission “which allows us time to plan a redevelopment of the site”.

Cr Eveson says that’d only liven up the site once every couple of years on election days.

by DAVID BELL