THE WA Liberal Party has engaged former City of Perth town planner Max Hipkins, engineer Peter Bruechle and architect Andrew Storey to help it develop a plan for development of the City of Perth. They will join a taskforce led by opposition planning spokesman, Dr Steve Thomas. Opposition leader Paul Omodei said in a statement the brief given to the taskforce had one pre-requisite – to bring the Northbridge Link project out of cold storage. The state government announced in last week’s budget that the $330 million Northbridge Link project would be deferred indefinitely, one of a number projects put on ice. However Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan did revive hopes that the long-awaited foreshore development between Barrack Street jetty and the Narrows Bridge may get moving, announcing a $2 million commitment to advance the Mounts Bay development. Ms MacTiernan said in a statement that the aim was to transform this area of the Swan River foreshore into an entertainment and tourist hub.
