Top Perth property expert says McIver Station should be sunk to make way for Parisian-style inner-city living

Perth property expert James Limnios is calling on local and State officials to sink McIver Street station so the inner-city area can be transformed into a bustling precinct. Limnios Property Group managing director Mr Limnios told The West exclusively this week that for 100 years the railway station had been like the “Berlin Wall” in dividing the city, but sinking part of the Armadale-Thornlie line would help revitalise the area. “For many years we have had a division of the city via our own form of the Berlin Wall, which is the railway line,” he said. “If you sunk the McIver Street railway, you would link that section of Perth to Royal Perth Hospital and back into that eastern precinct of Perth’s CBD.” The former City of Perth councillor wants to see part of Perth’s railway sunk, starting from the end of Roe Street before it becomes Stirling Street all the way to where McIver Street station meets the Lord Street overpass. “It’s underutilised, it’s not attractive and it looks like a failed inner-city precinct and it feels like that,” he said. Sinking this section of Perth’s railway line would make way for multi-level apartment blocks but not “20-storey skyscrapers”. Mr Limnios said his idea was the “next most important and logical step” in the urban renewal of the inner city and would complement the new $853 million ECU City campus. Construction has begun on the 60,000sqm campus set to open in late 2025 and will feature 11 “super-levels” to be built above the Wellington Street busport, stretching from Yagan Square at the William Street end of the CBD to Queen Street. ECU City will house the WA Academy of Performing Arts, School of Business and Law, School of Arts and Humanities with the WA Screen Academy and Broadcasting, emerging technology programs from the School of Science and Kurongkurl Katitjin — the university’s Centre for Indigenous Australian Education and Research. Mr Limnios said there was currently not enough inner-city accommodation to cater for the number of people expected to attend ECU City. “Young people, key workers such as nurses, fire, police, or students or lecturers can’t afford to live in very expensive places,” he said. “And by nature of the housing trend in WA, we’re having to send them out to the urban sprawl and they’re having to commute an hour. “We have an opportunity to create a key worker, smaller type of product that could accommodate and service the lecturers attending ECU, from the students, international students and those coming up from farms throughout the State to start their careers.” Mr Limnios also envisions the end of Aberdeen Street and Newcastle Street between Pier Street and the Lord Street overpass to be transformed into a student-friendly artistic precinct similar to the Latin Quarter in Paris. “It’s an awesome spot because there’s warehouses, there’s vacant land, there’s former office buildings — it’s a really cool space to create an artistic precinct and a student precinct with funky bars and good accommodation that suits key workers that suits students and downsizers,” he said. He is calling on the Department of Planning and the City of Perth to create a masterplan to support his vision. “Create a masterplan that supports the vision I’ve explained that will incentivise existing landowners and the State Government who owns majority of that land to create affordable housing, apartments and the artistic precinct ... you can incentivise it through bonuses and change of use,” he said. Mr Limnios said it was “critical” the city and the State Government work on a joint plan to use their substantial land holdings to make his vision a reality. “I’m calling all the decision makers and stakeholders, whether it be Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas, (Planning Minister) Rita Saffioti, State Member for Perth John Carey and Federal Member for Perth Patrick Gorman, to take a good hard look at this precinct because the opportunity is staring at them in the eyes,” he said. Planning Minister Ms Saffioti said the Government was focused elsewhere. “I am always open to new ideas but the Government’s current focus is on delivering our major expansion of public transport through Metronet, key inner-city projects like the new ECU City Campus and Perth City Link, and ensuring we maximise the use of existing land holdings,” she said. “Our Government is prioritising infill development in strategic locations through programs such as our $80 million Infrastructure Development Fund, $55 million Infill Sewerage Program, and generous rebates for off the plan apartments.” Mr Zempilas said he would support any idea to remove barriers to physical movement and activation in the city but Mr Limnios’ idea was reliant on securing State government support. “However, sinking part of Perth’s railway would be a significant project and would rely on State Government willingness and funding to proceed,” he said. “The City of Perth would be willing to work with the State Government and other stakeholders on any State-led master-planning exercise for sinking the railway and redeveloping surrounding land.” A member of Mr Gorman’s office said he encouraged Mr Limnios to write to the City of Perth and Infrastructure WA for careful consideration of his “interesting” proposal. Mr Limnios’ idea comes as the City of Perth 2023 local government elections ramp up but he told PerthNow he wasn’t planning on running for either Lord Mayor or as a councillor. “The time is for me to look after my family business, my wife and two beautiful sons,” he said.