The Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale is on the hunt for a second base camp – in Byford.
With the shire expected to triple in population size over the next 15 years, officers are predicting an extra 100 shire staff will be needed by 2040.
They rationalised that a new customer service centre in Byford will help alleviate the pinch currently felt in Mundijong, which will only get worse with time.
And during a recent ‘innovation and working arrangements’ survey, staff have indicated a strong interest in having a presence in Byford to “provide better services to the community whilst the concentration of growth remains located within Byford”.
According to officers, 75 percent of all new builds in the shire are currently in Byford.
And with a new train station, health hub, and town centre precinct on the horizon, there is wisdom in having an easily accessible customer service hub for the (current) largest town in the shire.
But officers have stressed that the council chambers will remain in Mundijong, and the administration centre on Paterson Street will continue to be the civic heart of shire business.
After all, Mundijong is the geographical centre point of the shire, and it will eventually eclipse Byford, with the town’s expected population ballooning to 55,000 by 2050 (as opposed to Byford’s 40,000).
Councillors unanimously endorsed shire CEO Paul Martin to go forth and investigate options in Byford.
But there’s a rather limiting shopping list of criteria he’ll have to contend with: the building needs to have at least 1300 sq metres of office space (preferably multi-storey), parking for up to 60 vehicles (preferably underneath the building), be in a pedestrian friendly locale, and be within 800 metres of the new traino.
A quick survey shows no existing buildings which match every criteria.
So, other options Mr Martin will be investigating include purchasing land to build to requirement, retrofitting an existing building (while compromising on some of the criteria), or a build-to-rent agreement with a developer.
