The City of Perth Council and the Commonwealth and West Australian governments will invest $695 million in moving Edith Cowan University’s law and business schools into the CBD.
The finalised Perth City Deal announced this week also includes initiatives to relocate the WA Academy of the Performing Arts into the CBD and expand the CBD footprints of Murdoch and Curtin Universities.
These moves will pave the way for 25,000 staff and students to relocate to the city centre, creating more than 4100 construction jobs and nearly 1000 ongoing direct jobs in the process.
It is estimated the 11 separate initiatives of the $1.5 billion City Deal will create nearly 10,00 jobs whilst encouraging more people back into the city.
Another major plank of the deal will see $105 million allocated to the Perth CBD Transport Plan to upgrade cycling and walking infrastructure, bus stop accessibility upgrades, and enhancements along Roe Street.
In related news, Lot Fourteen’s development as a defence and space-related innovation precinct accelerated during the first year of the Adelaide City Deal.
The first annual progress report for the City Deal signed in March 2019 revealed that:
- The Australian Space Agency Headquarters, opened at Lot Fourteen in February, now supports 20 employees;
- Local company Saber Astronautics has been chosen to a develop the new state-of-the-art mission control centre at Lot Fourteen; and
- Construction on the Australian Space Discovery Centre, also at Lot Fourteen, has begun and will be finished in early 2021.
In other notable milestones, an expression of interest has been released for the Entrepreneur and Innovation Centre at Lot Fourteen, two contracts to deliver the $5.5 million Carrick Hill visitor centre pavilion have been awarded, and an implementation plan for a $3 million Aboriginal Entrepreneur Hub has been approved.