Works to commence on Bentley housing project 15 years after redevelopment talks began

Works on the controversial Bentley masterplan will start today, with civil contractors Ertech to commence construction a staggering 15 years after initial redevelopment talks began. Set to become one of Perth’s biggest urban renewal developments, the 30ha Bentley eProject is set to include 800 to 1000 new homes, including social and affordable housing. But the stage one works have coincided with a petition by locals, who claim plans for one in seven social and affordable housing will introduce government homes at three times the rate of other suburbs. So far the petition has 488 signatures from locals who fear the suburb will sustain the same issues it experienced when it was home to the Brownlie Towers, which became a symbol of neglected social housing and rampant problems. “The plan’s alarming proposition of one in seven homes being allocated for social housing ignores the hard-learnt lessons from our past,” the petition stated. “This decision directly risks re-creating the same environment that previously led to Bentley being marked as an unsafe place to live.” The first stage of works is due for completion late next year, delivering 46 residential lots and two development sites to market. It will also develop three public open spaces, and commence remediation earthworks across a wider area to ensure the site is safe for future construction.