The WA government has unveiled its plans for the revamp of the Perth Cultural Centre but can't say when work on the $35 million project will begin.
The redevelopment will see the space between the WA Museum Boola Bardip, the Art Gallery of Western Australia, the State Library and State Theatre Centre transformed from a largely "concrete desert" into a welcoming public space for people to visit.
The existing amphitheatre will be demolished to make way for a more accessible, graded streetscape and the art gallery car park will be removed to provide better connections to Beaufort Street.
The project aims to enhance safety and attract families to the area through opening up under-utilised spaces, improving lighting and offering spaces for children.
Local Government Minister John Carey described the Perth Cultural Centre as the heart and soul of the city but conceded it had seen better times.
"You don't have to be an Einstein to look at this current place as it is, it's a concrete desert, it's not very friendly, and it's got a bit of a [reputation]," Mr Carey said.
"This plan will transform the cultural centre into a tree-lined boulevard, a water playground, a family friendly centre and I think the arts institutions around here deserve that."
Jessica Shaw, chair of the Perth Cultural Centre Taskforce, which was formed in 2019 to reinvigorate the area, said the redevelopment would do for culture and the arts what Perth Stadium did for sport.
"It's going to bring new life into the city and give culture and the arts a sort of priority [and] focus it deserves, which is vibrant and interesting and has such an incredible arts community.
She added it would also celebrate the cultural heritage of Indigenous Australians.
"It's so important that we celebrate and give full expression to the Aboriginal heritage that we have here in the City of Perth," Ms Shaw said.
No start date amid construction challenges
A joint commitment of $20 million from the state and federal governments for the project had previously been announced as part of the $1.7 billion Perth City deal but the state government will now top that up with an extra $15 million thanks to the massive surplus revealed in last week's budget.
But despite plenty of cash for the work being available, the state's desperately overheated construction sector means there is no start — and ultimately finish — date for the project.
"We've got to be realistic here and the reality is we do face a heated construction market and so the government has been pacing out infrastructure so we don't create those cost escalations."
Mr Carey also pointed to some engineering and technical design challenges resulting from the site's location, which will need to be finalised before committing to the project's start date.
