Heritage match up for Maylands

Heritage and development have combined to rejuvenate a row of century-old Maylands shops.

Heritage Minister John Castrilli today announced that landmark Whatley Crescent Group of shops is being permanently listed on the State Register of Heritage Places.

The precinct of single and two-storey shops, built between 1902 and 1924, incorporates the mixed-use development known as 'Maymont'.

The 4,214sqm site now includes 42 apartments set back from street level behind the original, carefully restored shop facades.

Mr Castrilli said local boutique developer Match had worked with the Heritage Council of Western Australia to ensure the development was in harmony with the site's heritage values.

"The Whatley Crescent shops are one of the few groups of shops to remain relatively intact, retaining much of their original features such as masonry parapets, metal shop-fronts, tiling and decorative glass," he said.

"The buildings go back to a time when Maylands was a bustling new working-class suburb, popular among workers at the newly established Midland Railway Workshops.

"This strip of shops is an integral part of the Maylands town centre and not only contributes to a sense of place for Maylands residents but is a familiar landmark for travellers on the Perth to Midland rail line."

The Minister said the Maymont development demonstrated that heritage and new development could be successfully blended to revitalise and enhance older suburbs.

"This approach clearly illustrates how we can achieve higher density housing without sacrificing heritage and our community sense of place," he said.

Mr Castrilli said Maymont was one of a number of adaptive reuse developments undertaken by Match, which saw the company awarded the inaugural Gerry Gauntlett Award for excellence in adaptive reuse at the 2009 Heritage Council Awards.