Preston Street in Como has long held a special place in the hearts and minds of Perth people. Just six kilometres south of the CBD, the area has been sought after as a place to live, gather and shop. Our engagement approach recognises that while Preston Street enjoys an exceptional geographic location, its lack-lustre amenities and facilities make it unattractive for many people. The purpose of engagement was to encourage local residents, business owners and other interested parties to provide feedback, ideas and opinions on ways Preston Street can be reinvigorated into a thriving main street. Stakeholder consultation was the first step to identify what amenities, facilities and infrastructure are needed to fulfil a new vision for Preston Street as a place locals and visitors love.

element worked collaboratively with the City of South Perth, landowners and the community to realise the precinct's potential as an attractive and vibrant main street. The primary purpose was to align stakeholders – community, regulatory and internal audiences – around a higher order place vision for Preston Street, to which planning and design for the area’s revitalisation and development potential can respond. This included facilitating a forum for the community to be heard and deliver feedback. This ensured community interests and aspirations for Preston Street are accurately represented in all future planning and development scenarios.

Through an extensive program of community engagement, local residents, businesses and vested stakeholders collectively identified the amenity, facilities and infrastructure needed to fulfil a new vision for Preston Street – allowing the creation of a robust Place Strategy for future development, activity and uses. A Local Development Plan will sit alongside the Place Strategy to provide the necessary statutory effect, guiding all aspects of Preston Streets revitalisation. To ensure the revitalisation of Preston Street maintains a village look and feel, engagement delivered a blueprint with clear principles and objectives, which reflected stakeholder aspirations for broader precinct regeneration and aligns with development intentions and potential.

• Engagement strategy
• Workshop design and facilitation
• Preliminary town team
• Place Strategy
• Urban design
• Planning framework