$40M facelift to transform Perth’s dining culture
Following a $40 million facelift of a popular WA precinct, the newly refurbished Leederville Hotel, once an institution of Perth’s nightlife, is slated to re-open in mid-2021.
$40 million is being spent by Adrian Fini's FJM Property to turn a central Leederville block into an entertainment precinct.
FJM’s plans will see the hotel upgraded, along with the adjacent laneway, which is being transform into a food and retail precinct as part of a joint venture with Dale Alcock's ABN Group.
All work is expected to be completed by June.
The Leederville Hotel will feature a new dining area, bar and kiosks. It is already host to popular eateries The Garden, Bill's Bar and Bites, Babushka and The Blue Flamingo.
The new development will open up into the laneway connecting Newcastle Street to the old hotel carpark.
The developers have drawn inspiration from Melbourne’s laneway culture, which prior to the pandemic was one of the city’s biggest cultural attractions.
The WA development will see this area transform in a similar way with shops, restaurants, food trucks, bars, cafes and art to become a familiar sit around the Leederville Hotel and surrounding streets.
Along with the hotel, the site will host a 140-seat restaurant inspired by Leederville's "eclectic culture" and a takeaway kiosk similar to Sydney’s Shwarmama, al all day shawarma and falafel local in Sydney’s Surry Hills.
Artist impressions of the precinct show a two-level alfresco dining area, outdoor nooks, and even child friendly spaces.
Coffee windows for casual trade and balcony seating overlooking the landscaped garden have also been included.
While the hotel is set to open in June, the current construction timeline will see the first restaurants, cafes, and shops potentially open in August.
The laneway is part of an overall trend in WA to draw crowds back to Perth’s retail strips following COVID-19.
Sirona Capital's FOMO development in the heart of Fremantle was one of the first to two this line.
The Perth development is expected to accommodate more than 700 returning office workers once the project is completed in mid-2021.
"This type of laneway activation is something we all love when we're travelling and we're going to have it right here in Leederville," Mayor Emma Cole said.
"It will be a unique, high-quality laneway experience seen nowhere else in Perth, which will help draw visitors, shoppers, and foodies into the town centre."
A competition has been launched to the public to name the new laneway, with five of the seven tenancies already snapped up.
Jonathan Jackson - 18 January 2021
