Jenelle Carter

Il Divo, Amici Forever and Charlotte Church may be making sweet harmonies on the world stage, but performers trained at a small studio in central Midland are also delighting audiences with their unique operatic style.

Perth-based national retail advisory group Retail Pace is under new management, after former director Darryll Askworth sold it for an undisclosed sum last month.

Major construction work in Perth’s CBD is limiting pedestrian traffic through the Murray Street Mall and William Street, according to findings from the latest pedestrian survey conducted by the Property Council of Australia (WA) and Lease Equity.

Two former executive directors of local property group Clarke & Hawkins Management have split from the business to form boutique development and investment vehicle Qube Property Group Pty Ltd, taking more than $1 billion of projects with them.

Young Perth entrepreneur David Gray has high hopes for his new tourism venture, Classic Wings, offering scenic flights over the city and South West in a 63-year-old DC 3 aircraft he recently bought for $500,000.

The WA Commission for Occupational Safety and Health is proposing a tightening of regulations concerning the removal of asbestos by lowering the amount of asbestos that can be removed from a site without a licence.

The Federal Government’s latest round of tendering for employment service providers in Western Australia has produced a number of casualties in this extremely competitive market, including one of the largest Work for the Dole organisations in Australia, W

It may hold just a 4 per cent share of Western Australia’s private health insurance sector but Health Insurance Fund has found a market niche via its provision of tailored hospital and ancillary care benefits packages to more than 40,000 people.

With nearly 620 registered charities in Western Australia, what change the public has to spare is keenly sought after.

Western Australia’s retail building cycle is tipped to peak at $352 million in value within 12 months as two major new developments get under way.

Those looking for any excuse to visit the Margaret River wine region have a new destination to enjoy, with the opening of Chandeliers on Abbey, near Yallingup, the first foray into the hotel market by professional golfer Glenn Parry and his wife, Jody.

The City of Perth gave two thumbs up in its council meeting last night to Luke Saraceni and Hossean Pourzand's $120 million Raine Square development, as well as Cape Bouvard and Charter Hall's $60 million, 21-level office tower at 54 Mounts Bay Road.

The City of Mandurah has delivered a record capital works budget of $29.2 million for 2006-07, out of a total budget of $75 million, to fund an unprecedented level of building activity in the growing region.

The historic T Sharp & Co store in the Hay Street Mall has sold its last pouch of tobacco following a decision by its new owners to concentrate on the sale of specialist pens and fine gifts.

Aspen Group has joined the chorus of listed property investment and funds management groups to post strong profit results, this week announcing its net profit increased 248 per cent this financial year to $34.5 million.

The Cottesloe Surf Life Saving Club is examining redevelopment options for its clubhouse, located atop Mudurup Rocks at the southern end of Cottesloe Beach.

In response to increasing industry concern about Western Australia’s industrial land shortage and the equitable delivery of lots onto the market, the state’s most significant land holder, LandCorp, has spoken out about the pressures of current demand and

Perth’s self-storage market is in the midst of a shake-up after Queensland-based National Storage expanded to nine properties comprising 5,000 individual units following the purchase of its local rival Self Lock’s four metropolitan centres.

Executives from Melbourne-based Cbus Property, which is short-listed for the 140 William Street development, made the most of a recent whirlwind trip west by meeting with consortium stakeholders and gauging potential opportunities in the Perth market.

The Building and Construction Industry Training Fund is considering a boost to its industry levy to keep apprentices and trainees in jobs, following a forecast 9 per cent drop in housing approvals this financial year.

East Perth could end up as the dual home of the proposed new sports stadium and the Western Australian Museum, with the area’s former power station a shortlisted site for both projects as decision making time closes in.

South Perth real estate stalwart of 18 years, Alan Bourke, has merged his Alan Bourke Real Estate business on Canning Highway with the Acton Group, signalling both the end of an era for the independent agency and a new beginning for Mr Bourke.

The burgeoning commercial and retail area of Myaree is fast becoming an attractive proposition for developers, with boutique residential property developer Match choosing it as the location for its first foray into commercial projects.

Norma Road in Myaree is set for a significant change if the City of Melville’s proposed re-zoning for the area is given the go ahead by the Western Australian Planning Commission.

Developers are lining up for a piece of the next phase of Perth’s office market action to capitalise on the solid returns promised by high rents and current vacancy rates of 3.5 per cent.

A hot property market and soaring median house prices are not the exclusive domain of Perth, with regional centres also getting a good dose of property fever.

Satterley Property Group is looking at its next big Busselton development, earmarking 260 hectares adjacent to the region’s airport for a mixed use project.

Sydney-based Australian Property Monitors believes Perth is in line for a price correction of between 16 and 20 per cent in six to 12 months, if global commodities markets slow.

In the midst of Western Australia’s escalating property prices, Jenelle Carter spoke to a number of prominent WA property figures to find out if and when the bubble will burst.

A former Wesfarmers Premier Coal mine near Collie will reportedly be the first in Australia to be rehabilitated and transformed into a freshwater lake and premiere recreation area.

Personal space may start to become an uncomfortable issue in some workplaces amid the city’s ongoing office market squeeze.

The state government wants greater control over the Commonwealth-owned airport land and has called for planning powers over non-aviation related development to be reverted to state hands.