A piazza will replace the pavilion AFTER two delays Vincent council is to demolish Banks Reserve pavilion, with a last round of petitioners unable to save it.  In 2018 the council decided to replace the ageing pavilion with an open plaza as part of a broader reserve revamp, citing its age, cost to get it up…

THE swish of bright skirts and passion-charged clack of castanets will cut through Perth’s drab winter from next weekend as Aire Flamenco Theatre launches its newest event. Dancers Maree Laffan and the Herald’s own Val Gonzalez have been dancing together for 25 years. Ms Laffan, who for years travelled the world as a contemporary dancer,…

INDOOR plants have become a hot commodity with people spending more time with their plantbabies during lockdowns, with enthusiasts prepared to fork out thousands for a rare species.  Indoor plant lovers are planning to gather for the second Indoor Jungle Festival at Perth City Farm, with rare greeneries expected to be a big attraction this…

DESPITE making up less than 8 per cent of vessels on the river, jetskiers are now accounting for 36 per cent of boating fines.  Department of Transport waterways safety management director Chris Mather said there’d been a concerning increase in people on jetskis, aka personal watercraft, attracting infringements in the past five years, going from…

IDEAS are needed for the design of the slightly-relocated Wotton Reserve skate and BMX park. State government money is paying for Bayswater council to handle the fraught and much-debated relocation of the park to the north-western wedge of Wotton Reserve, as it has to move to make way for a Metronet station carpark on the…

THE slow death of suburban backyard life is being sealed brick by brick, with another development proposal in Leederville decried as “heartbreaking” and marking the end of a leafy outlook, nude sunbaking, and backyard privacy. The trio of two-storey group dwellings planned for 14 Franklin Street isn’t the biggest in the ‘burb, but neighbours say the impact…

THE NORTHBRIDGE lights sign on William Street has been switched on and is ready to be hashtagged. It was inspired by local arts pillar Marcus Canning’s 2015 visit to California, where he spotted the popular VENICE sign at Venice Beach. When he got home and saw the two poles either side of William Street, the…

LOCAL gardens brimming with food for bees is the goal of a new sculpture and mural in West Perth put up by WA Loves Nature.  At the corner of Hay and Outram Street, the mural depicts plants that native bees love to feast on, and the group is encouraging people to include them in their…

INGLEWOOD’S speedy stretch of Beaufort Street is heading to 40kmh between Central Avenue and Crawford Road under a new trial. That part of the street has been a hotspot of pedestrian safety concerns for at least a decade, trapped in time as other bits of Beaufort further south get lowered speed limits and speed-tempering design…

A NEW self-guided tour developed by a group of eco-warriors is encouraging city folk to head into what’s left of WA’s unique jarrah forests to see what exactly is at stake as American mining giant Alcoa pushes ahead with the expansion of its bauxite mines. Bauxite, which is used to produce aluminium, is generally found in…