Planning committee approves 14-storey business hub in West Perth

The Western Australian Planning Commission has unanimously approved plans to develop a $250 million, 14-storey building in West Perth for Hancock Prospecting, an Australian mining and agricultural company controlled by Australia's richest person Gina Rinehart.

Designed by Perth-based architecture practice Donaldson Boshard to be a "work meets wellness" business hub, the project comprises a single building with two towers - a northern office tower and a southern amenities tower - connected by a shared podium and gradually separating at higher levels.

The project will involve the demolition of several buildings on Outram Street, including a Federation-era home built in 1904, to clear the site for the new 14-storey development. The application sought the development of a "mixed-use building," accommodating several levels of office space - set to include the new headquarters of Hancock's Prospecting - along with gyms, swimming pools, childcare amenities, hospitality offerings and apartments.

The project was approved at a Statutory Planning Committee meeting on 8 October.

During the committee meeting, member Megan Adair raised questions about the project's classification as "mixed-use," noting that the proposed amenities - including pools and gyms - are intended for private use by Hancock Prospecting. It was also highlighted during the meeting that the residential component appears to consist of executive suites for the company's use.

Adair queried whether this meets West Perth's objective of being a mixed-use area.

Speaking on behalf of the client, Dan Lees of Element Advisory responded by saying, "I think West Perth is characterised as a mixed-used area. To my mind, that means that the area as a whole or the precinct as a whole has a mix of land uses, not necessarily that each individual building or development has to have a mix of uses within it.

"There are plenty of examples of entirely residential buildings in West Perth, in the same way there are plenty of buildings that are exclusively office or commercial," said Lees. "This building does have a mix - albeit it's a reasonably small one in terms of the proportions of office versus the executive suites."

Other issues raised during the meeting by State Development Assessment Unit planner Jacky Jurmann related to the building's height and the demolition of the existing Federation-era dwelling. It was noted in the committee that the dwelling was recently evaluated for heritage status by the City of Perth but was ultimately not listed. The building height was also considered less contentious given the built form features an open centre rather than a box-like mass.

Aspect Studios were engaged for the landscape design.

The facade of the building incorporates a trellis system to support vertical landscaping, which, according to the architect's website, is intended to soften the building's appearance and promote wellbeing. The architect noted that building setbacks have allowed about 60 percent of the site to be allocated "to landscaping and publicly accessible open space at ground level."

The project will target a 5-star Green Star rating.