4 days ago
Stirling eyes fresh plans for Karrinyup Library site
The future of Karrinyup Library is once again in question as the City of Stirling considers a potential redevelopment of the ageing site.
The council has been asked to endorse engaging a consultant to prepare a development opportunity plan for the library to assess current community needs, opportunities and site constraints.
The library is on the northern edge of the Karrinyup Shopping Centre precinct and has faced increasing challenges with accessibility and parking since the centre's recent $800 million redevelopment, which was completed in 2021.
The city says while the library continues to attract more than 93,000 visitations and 193,000 loans per annum, issues linked to the redevelopment have resulted in a consistent decline in visitations over the past few years.
In mid-2023, the library, which opened in 1974, was forced to close for multiple weeks due to flooding. The library is on the northern edge of the Karrinyup Shopping Centre. Credit: Erick Lopez
Given the building's uncertain future, the city has avoided any upgrades or improvements to the site beyond basic maintenance.
'Over many years, the city has engaged with the Karrinyup Shopping Centre owner regarding opportunities for redevelopment of the library landholding; however, an agreed direction has never been reached to enable formal consideration by council,' city officers said in a report.
'As such, the city has undertaken minimum asset maintenance over an extended period to keep the library safe and functional without over-investing, given this uncertain future direction.'
The future of the library has been under discussion since February 2021, when residents raised concerns at the electors' general meeting and asked the city to engage with the community and review the planning framework for the Karrinyup Secondary Centre.
Since then, the city has engaged with Karrinyup Shopping Centre owners, GPT Group on behalf of UniSuper, to explore redevelopment options but progress has stalled, prompting the city to recommend a consultant-led review.
While site redevelopment options and concepts have been prepared by GPT Group, the city said they were largely developed without direct input from its officers.
If council approves the recommendation, a competitive tender will be conducted to engage a consultant for the Karrinyup Library Development Opportunity Plan, with funding allocated in the 2025/2026 budget.
The matter was discussed at the city's planning and development committee on Tuesday and is expected to be considered at the August 12 council meeting.
