THREE years after its inception the Midland Redevelopment Authority will release its first parcels of land.
First to go will be four hectares of land zoned for bulky goods retail on the corner of Lloyd and Clayton streets, which is due to be on the market before the end of March.
Commercial land in the Midland Central area will be released around April after the extension of Keane Street is completed, while a small development of 14 residential lots should be available before the end of the year.
MRA chairman Ian Laurance said the perception of Midland was evolving, with the forth-coming land release attracting interest from most of Perth’s major developers.
“A number of building firms and developers are keeping a close eye on Midland because they got caught out with East Perth and Subiaco, they dev-eloped so fast,” Mr Laurance said.
“Midland won’t develop in exactly the same way but the overall change will be just as great.”
Plans for the site, as well as price, would be examined when the land went for tender, he said.
“We want to know what the whole intention is for the site as these are the first blocks to go; it is not just about getting the best price but if the developments fits the overall strategy,” Mr Laurance told WA Business News.
“We won’t be putting huge amounts of land on the market, we want people to see the process and change perceptions of what is happening in Midland.”
He said he hoped that the State Government’s plan to en-gage the private sector in building new saleyards in Muchea would speed up the process of relocating the Midland Saleyards out of MRA boundaries.
“I have been told that WA is the only State that has got old government-owned saleyards in a metropolitan area; in every other State they are privately run new saleyards in rural areas,” Mr Laurence said.
