Business View Oceania | December 2019

13 14 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA DECEMBER 2019 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA DECEMBER 2019 ARMADALE , WESTERN AUSTRAL I A infrastructure through a Redevelopment Authority in that area. The estate is well located on major highways, close to the Fremantle Port, which is our main export port, and the international airport is only 20 minutes away. The second estate is still going through the planning process, but will probably be brought online in the next five to ten years. “Our recently developed Business Investment Prospectus lays out reasons why you should be investing in the City of Armadale. We are growing; we have a diverse workforce along with diverse lifestyle choices to suit people looking to settle here in the City of Armadale. We’re only 30 minutes out of the CBD of Perth, understanding Perth is now a City of 2.5 million people, so we’re part of a much larger community, as well. The inner suburbs, inner cities, are pretty well developed, but the outer metropolitan area which we identify with is being sought after to pick up the slack. The City of Armadale is also well placed as a gateway to the fast growing region of the South West.” Puig: “It’s a really exciting time for Armadale right now. With Henry retiring, we have a new Mayor, and a new Chief Executive Officer, and I just commenced with the City in September. So the baton is being passed and it’s time to take all of these strategies and plans that have been developed and incorporate them for the positive growth of Armadale. That’s the reason why I decided to take on this job. Having the opportunity to work on this project is incredible.” BVO: What are the biggest challenges for Armadale? Zelones: “The biggest issue for our growing residential areas is employment, whether they are local jobs, or those located outside of the City. Currently most work opportunities are to the north into the metropolitan area and west towards the Fremantle Port, the coast, and the huge Kwinana heavy industrial strip. So our lobbying activities have strongly focused on improving our transport infrastructure – both rail and road. Over three hundred million dollars is being spent on improving road infrastructure which will enable our residents to get to those job opportunities more quickly and efficiently. “Because we’ve been declared a Strategic Metropolitan Regional Center, we’re going through an upgrade of our Central Business District to grow our commercial, retail and educational facilities to create more job opportunities. South of us, we have a region growing at an even faster rate, percentage wise, than we are. That means we’re going to be a central hub for providing many other services. So part of our advocacy and strategies is about how we address those issues. Those developments will create over a billion dollars worth of private and government expenditure in our area.” Puig: “There are also challenges in terms of perception of the ‘old Armadale’– that there’s not much exciting going on. We need to get the message out that there is a lot of opportunity in terms of growing the local economy. As part of our advocacy we’re trying to secure a higher education facility here in the city centre so young people can stay in the community after finishing (retired) Mayor Henry Zelones Shopping in Armadale