A Kelmscott advocacy group has welcomed a recent call by the City of Armadale to improve the presentation of business precincts, saying Kelmscott is in urgent need of investment.
Kelmscott Progress Network (KPN) co-founder Chris Kirkby said the group emerged early last year after residents and business owners expressed concerns about the town’s direction and decline in amenity.
“Earlier last year there was a lot of community frustration about the lack of progress, and what people perceived to be the lack of input and effort towards Kelmscott,” Mr Kirkby said.
“People saw it falling apart in many ways.”
Mr Kirkby said while the concerns were broad, they were united by a shared desire to see Kelmscott thrive rather than stagnate.
“It was also a way of connecting people who want to take action or campaign for change,” Mr Kirkby said.
The group’s advocacy aligns with a December motion brought forward by Armadale Mayor Ruth Butterfield, who sought a report outlining actions and associated costs the city could take to incentivise business operators to refresh their shop fronts.
The motion, which aimed to make the Armadale city centre and Kelmscott town centres more inviting was carried 6-0.
“The city recognises there are businesses in both Armadale and Kelmscott that present very well and make a strong contribution to the look and feel of their precincts.,” Ms Butterfield said.
“The city also acknowledges there are areas where presentation could be improved and this is a view shared by a number of local business operators and members of the community.”
She said vacancy rates in commercial centres changed frequently and noted there was no single factor why some areas performed differently.
Ms Butterfield said Kelmscott’s public realm strategy was currently being developed and would consider ideas to improve shade, comfort and street appeal, though any proposals would need to be properly costed and assessed before being presented to council.
The city did not respond to specific questions regarding the number of vacant commercial premises in Kelmscott and Armadale or compliance with landscaping and car-parking requirements.
Mr Kirkby said the motion was a positive step and consistent with the type of progress KPN had been calling for.
“We urge all councillors, not just to get behind the motion, but to also get behind implementing aspects of it as the opportunities arise,” he said.
He said incentives were one of the most effective tools for encouraging businesses and landowners to invest in improving their premises, particularly in established centres such as Kelmscott.
Mr Kirkby pointed to a section of the motion encouraging businesses to plant trees and improve greenery as an example of how council and community efforts could reinforce each other.
“We then went away and spoke with businesses about exactly the same thing,” he said.
“So, if you have council asking for something like that and then you have the community asking as well, we believe it’s going to be much more effective.”
Mr Kirkby also raised concerns about the long-term impacts of major infrastructure projects on local businesses, particularly the Denny Avenue and Metronet upgrades.
He said those works disrupted trade.
“Since then, things haven’t been the same,” he said.
“Traffic at that time slowed and they just didn’t get as many people going into businesses as they did prior to those projects occurring.”
With both projects now complete, the group is hoping conditions improve.
“One thing about Kelmscott is, we think it has so much going for it and it is literally a blank canvas,” Mr Kirkby said.
“There’s a lot of vacant land, there’s a lot of scope and there’s a lot of area for the community to get together and make something really special.”
As an example of an incentive-based approach that has delivered results elsewhere, Mr Kirkby pointed to the City of Gosnells’ shop front enhancement grant.
Under that program, eligible businesses can receive funding covering up to 50 per cent of improvement works, capped at $5000.
Eligible upgrades include repainting, relocating air-conditioning units, and repairing awnings or canopies.
“It’s a very good incentive,” Mr Kirkby said.
