VINCENT council is looking at banning smoking in five town centre areas. Boundaries drafted by the city will go out for public consultation, and then come back to council for the vote. If the new rules are approved, smoking would be punished by a $100 fine in: • Leederville’s Oxford Street retail strip along with…

THE expansion of smoke shops may be curtailed under a new plan to ban any new smoking-devoted premises in Vincent.  In recent years cigar bars, smokers terraces, “paraphernalia” shops, and private club smoking rooms have applied to open in Vincent with varying success. Last month councillor Jonathan Hallett won unanimous support for his motion to investigate ways…

The most recent smoke-adjacent shop to open in Vincent was the tenth outlet of the rapidly growing UpInSmoke Empire, this one on Beaufort Street.  They sell hookahs, waterpipes, safes, and precision digital scales branded with weedlords Cheech & Chong.  They started operating before they got planning approval so had to pay a $885 fee to…

THE chance of a pool at the WACA is drying up with the long-awaited business plan warning Perth councillors of hefty costs ahead.  Perth council CEO Michelle Reynolds recommends councillors don’t enter the costly four-way deal with WACA and the state and federal governments. The independent business plan estimated the pool would run at a…

FEDERAL Perth Labor MP Patrick Gorman has called on deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce to step in and plug the pool funding gap with federal money if need be.  Mr Joyce is now infrastructure minister overseeing the “City Deals” between federal, state and local governments. But Perth council’s commitment was never set in stone.  Last…

For years the North Perth building’s purpose was a baffling mystery (top), and now it’s gone (bottom). Images from Google Maps 2021 A LONGSTANDING North Perth oddity has disappeared with this week’s demolition of the strange Scarborough Beach Road/Loftus Street faux castle. The corner castle’s purpose has been the subject of a lot of conjecture…

GEL blaster enthusiasts marched from Elizabeth Quay to WA Police headquarters in East Perth last Sunday (June 27). They were protesting the sudden ban of the toy guns that’ve seen a burgeoning sport pop up in recent years. Gel blasters fire a low-velocity soft bead that’s mostly water, and the sport is similar to paintball.…

THERE could be a lot more downsizers in Mt Lawley after the launch of a new $39m luxury residential development in the suburb. Situated on Field Street, the 24 residences and six townhomes blend the old and new, combining the heritage of the area with state-of-the-art facilities. “With so few apartments of this quality in the…

THREE short films about Vincent premiere at the Get Your Shorts On screening on Wednesday (July 7). There is no Stopping Us tells the tale of our local radio station RTRFM that’s been broadcasting 24/7 for years, looking into what happens when the station goes into lockdown. Pacing the Pool is the story of Richard…