Kensington Precinct development update

James Audcent

Public consultation has commenced on the Kensington Precinct which will replace the old government buildings opposite Jirdarup.

May 4, 2025

The Opportunity

The Kensington Precinct project is a unique opportunity to put Western Australia on the world stage in urban renewal and demonstrate the advantages of living in harmony with nature. There will not be another opportunity for a development that can complement and enhance an inner-city Jarrah Banksia woodland and its benefits to the community.

It is also an opportunity to “plan forward” creating a habitat that caters for the flora and fauna that will thrive in this area as climate change progresses.

Baron-Hay Court in Kensington separates this development and the Jirdarup Bushland Precinct, a haven for native flora and fauna.

Principles

The Friends of Jirdarup Bushland Inc appreciate the importance of urban housing. Our position is that the following principles should underpin the development:

The development should be sympathetic to the bushland
All mature trees on the site should be retained
The highest standards of ecological and sustainable development should be adopted
The development should have least negative impact on the tree canopy
Traffic along Baron-Hay Court should be minimised

Quick facts

Kensington Bushland is one of the few remaining areas of intact, high, quality Jarrah Banksia woodland in inner Perth. It has more species per unit area to similar woodland in Kings Park and Bold Park.
The Town of Victoria Park is committed to the restoration of the Kent St Sandpit with planting and earthworks commencing in 2025.
Kensington Bushland represents a Threatened Ecological Community, Banksia Woodlands of the Swan Coastal Plain, listed as Endangered in 2016 under the Commonwealth Environmental Protection Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Kensington Bushland Management Plan 2018, p5). This means any new or intensified activities that may have a significant impact on the listed ecological community should be referred to the Australian Government Minister for the Environment for assessment (see advice from DCCEEW). A Threatened Ecological Community is classified by factors such as a significant reduction in Area Of Occupancy (AOO) and Extent Of Occurrence (EOO) in the past 50 years. The Banksia woodlands of the Swan Coastal Plain TEC was listed due to a significant reduction in extent related to significant land clearing and land use change to urbanisation in its range, resulting in its current Endangered status. Small urban remnants of Banksia woodlands are at particularly high risk of future impacts and require a higher level of protection measures to assist their longterm survival”.
Perth Tree canopy at 16% is the lowest of all capital cities in Australia (see WALGA report).
Kensington Bushland and its surrounds are a haven for black cockatoos – these relatively large birds are vulnerable to vehicles strikes.
Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo and Forest Red-tailed Black Cockatoo are threatened species, ranked endangered and vulnerable respectively under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.
Rainbow Bee-eaters and Striated Pardalotes nest in the ground and are therefore vulnerable to roaming cats and dogs.
2023 research reports 71% of all pet cats in Australia are able to roam. On average, they kill 110 native animals a year (exclusive of amphibians and invertebrates).

About the development

Development WA 2023 proposal

The Kensington Urban Regeneration Project is categorised by Development WA as a residential development that “will likely include a variety of different types of homes in the future, as well as the potential for commercial uses such as offices, shops and parks.” The project comes under responsibility of the Minister for Lands.

The 22ha site is currently used by the State Government. The development will be delivered in stages as existing State Government operations on the site are decommissioned. The site is 4.5km from the Perth CBD and lies within the City of South Perth with Baron-Hay Court, including both verges, and the Jirdarup Bushland Precinct in the Town of Victoria Park.

The first limited round of community consultation, including a survey of local residents, was undertaken in November and December 2023. A report on the outcomes of that consultation has not yet been published.

Minister for Planning is the responsible Minister and Hannah Beazley MLA is the local Member. Even though the area is in the City of South Perth, it lies in the Victoria Park electorate at the State level. At the federal level, it lies in the Swan electorate.

Sporting stadium proposal

During the latter part of 2024, the Perth Basketball Association sought to have a 12-court stadium included in the Kensington Precinct development. Details.

In July 2024, the City of South Perth were briefed on the stadium and supported the concept of a stadium within South Perth to serve the South Perth community. (See full minutes here.)

During the lead up to the March 2025 State election (11 Jan 25), the Liberal Party committed $37.5 million towards this project in this area. The Liberal candidate for South Perth stated on social media on 14 January 2024 that “there is no intention to remove any trees as part of this project” and that the impact on the “precious flora and fauna of the Kensington Bushland” must be considered. Although no specific commitment was made, social media comments indicated that the preferred location was the corner of Baron-Hay Court and Kent St.

At the same time the State Government was conducting a comprehensive $2 million study into the needs for hard court stadiums across Western Australia. The responsible Minister undertook to consult the Friends of Jirdarup Bushland if any of the likely recommendations might impact Jirdarup.

The City of South Perth advised the consultation group that George Burnett Reserve was the only site within their control where such a facility could be built. Unlike the Cockburn City Council that was promised $20 million by the State Labor Government towards an indoor stadium, the City of South Perth made no financial commitment.

Responses to the proposed stadium on social media were mixed, ranging from concerns about the impact on the bushland, traffic and parking, to support for increased sporting facilities, to questioning whether this is a priority for Council expenditure and scepticism that anything would ever happen.

Ideas from around the world:

Local policies and plans: