William Street to get a new lease on life

Niche retailers and independent labels have the opportunity to lease in EPRA’s revitalised William Street which is set to become a unique new inner city destination.

EPRA’s plans for William Street include renovating, conserving and leasing 11 heritage buildings between Roe and Aberdeen Streets and developing key sites. The plan will ensure the heritage value of the area is conserved while attracting more visitors and investment to the area.

EPRA CEO Tony Morgan said a revitalised William Street would balance the need for urgent investment in building upgrades with the growth of the area and the needs of the existing community.

“This is a great opportunity for local businesses and independents to tap into Northbridge’s growing residential, visitor, and commuter populations and benefit from all the inner city regeneration projects happening in the area,” Mr Morgan said.

“EPRA’s New Northbridge project is almost complete and has brought some 1,200 new residents and 3,500 new workers to the area. As well as this, work on The Link project, the $60million TAFE development and the new State Theatre Centre are all under way.”

The 19 tenancies will be released in a staged approach and range in size from 30sqm to 850sqm, on basement, ground and first floor levels. Most have street frontage, large shop front window display areas, wooden floorboards and high ceilings.

Leasing will be conducted via an open, public process and applications will be assessed on a number of criteria, including how well the new business fits with the vision for the area.

“These buildings have become very rundown and in need of urgent works,” Mr Morgan said.

“As a State Government agency EPRA has a responsibility to strike a balance between improving the area for the benefit of the community as a whole and retaining the existing urban culture of William Street.

“The commercial revenue from these buildings will not only allow EPRA to conserve this important heritage area and upgrade facilities but also subsidise low cost spaces for arts organisations and creative businesses.

“EPRA is offering all of the existing arts organisations subsidised tenancies, and while rents will increase, the cost of space is still very reasonable compared to other artist spaces in the city.

“EPRA is also investing a significant amount of money in building improvements and attracting more visitors to the area which will benefit these organisations, as well as the community as a whole, by creating a more vibrant, diverse and safer Northbridge.”

During the renovation period EPRA has been providing free and subsidised spaces to community and arts organisations including: WAMI live recording studio and art exhibition; Arterial Collective drawing and illustration exhibition; and Awesome Arts workshops.

Upcoming events in William Street include the Outskirts program which is part of the Perth Fashion Festival and the Tura Totally Huge New Music Festival.

Conservation and upgrade works to the buildings will occur over the next six to eight months, with most of the works planned to be completed around the same time as the opening of the new State Theatre Centre in 2010.

Leasing applications are open from today.  For more information visit www.williamst.com.au