• Barrack Street’s Bon Marché Arcade to benefit from $1 million City grant.
  • Heritage Adaptive Reuse Grant Program established to increase the sustainability, liveability and prosperity of the city through reactivation of heritage assets.
  • Encourages new uses for vacant and underutilised spaces within heritage-protected buildings.

Barrack Street’s iconic Bon Marché Arcade will get a breath of new life thanks to a $1 million Heritage Adaptive Reuse Grant from the City of Perth.

The grant program supports property owners to activate vacant or underutilised upper-floor and basement spaces within heritage buildings, demonstrating the City's long-term commitment to revitalising Perth’s heritage assets.

On 9 December, the City of Perth Council approved the $1 million grant for 30 iParks Pty Ltd, to support the adaptive reuse and revitalisation of the Bon Marché Arcade, which will be transformed into a short-stay accommodation facility.

City of Perth Lord Mayor Bruce Reynolds said the grant program helped encourage the community to connect with Perth’s built history.

“Heritage buildings are part of Perth’s character and identity. By activating spaces that have been dormant or underused, we’re not just restoring architecture, we’re bringing history back into the everyday life of our City,” Mr Reynolds said.

“This approval signals the beginning of a new approach to place-making in Perth, where heritage assets are not only protected, but lived in, visited and enjoyed.

“Bon Marché Arcade has stood through more than a century of change, and we now have an opportunity to bring new energy, activity and purpose into its walls.”

iParks Property Group Managing Director Tony Canci said the Bon Marché redevelopment would help generate economic and cultural benefits for the Barrack Street precinct, supporting local businesses, increasing visitation and adding vibrancy to the area.

“We see this redevelopment as a catalyst for fresh activity in the Barrack Street precinct and an example of how heritage can be preserved and used in a contemporary way,” Mr Canci said.

“The project will protect the building’s rich history and open its doors to new visitors, businesses and experiences.”

Heritage Council of WA Chair Darren Foster said the grant represented a new era for heritage in the City.

“Heritage buildings don’t survive by being locked away – they need to be used, loved and lived in,” Mr Foster said.

“The approval of this first Heritage Adaptive Reuse Grant shows what is possible when agencies work together on conservation and activation.

“Bon Marché Arcade is an important part of Perth’s architectural history, and seeing its spaces reoccupied will reinforce heritage as something active, not archival.”

About the Heritage Adaptive Reuse Grant program

  • Supports projects that elevate cultural identity, stimulate local business activity and preserve heritage value.
  • Maximum City of Perth contribution: 10 per cent of total project cost, capped at $1 million per project.
  • Under the grant conditions, works must be completed within three years and a portion of the funding will be retained until the building is successfully tenanted or activated across multiple floors.
  • For more information on the Heritage Adaptive Reuse Grant Program, visit the City’s website.

ENDS

Contact: Courtney Notte | [email protected] | 0408 923 914