Artist's impression of Gloucester Park's proposed grandstand overlooking both the track and the Swan River
The Gloucester Park Harness Racing (GPHR) has unveiled its plans for the revitalisation of iconic and heritage listed Gloucester Park as Australia’s pre-eminent harness racing facility, as well as its integration into the wider East Perth and Perth communities.
GPHR has begun a formal process to seek its Members’ support and authorisation for their Executive Committee to finalise the sale of 5.9ha of land to leading local property group Hesperia, subject to detailed due diligence.
Members have received a detailed briefing on the future vision for Gloucester Park, with the Member’s referendum commencing earlier in the week.
Independent advisors to GPHR have provided the Executive Committee with a market valuation of the land, which incorporates Hesperia’s commitment to redeveloping the racing and heritage infrastructure at the site.
The proposal will:
- Ensure Gloucester Park remains the home of harness racing in WA;
- Preserve and celebrate the sites’ existing heritage assets for future generations;
- Establish diverse revenue streams for a sustained financial future of GPHR; and
- Make the best possible use of this important inner-city precinct, connecting and integrating Gloucester Park into the wider East Perth community.
If completed, the land sale will trigger a redevelopment that includes Gloucester Theatre - a new tourism, hospitality and community facility located on the eastern side of the track near the foot of Matagarup Bridge. Gloucester Theatre and its surrounds will host up to 4,000 spectators and feature dual views over the track, and across the Swan River to Optus Stadium. It will also provide a dedicated member area and member parking facilities, plus a range of entertainment and hospitality experiences that will activate the Swan River seven days a week as well as providing a key tourism focal point anchoring the Matagarup Bridge.
Renovation of the existing racetrack will result in highly engaging, exciting racing, a rejuvenated experience for drivers, trainers and owners, and further improvements to animal welfare. The stables and parade ring will be relocated to the eastern side of the course, giving Gloucester Park the most modern harness racing infrastructure in Australia.
Maintaining the rich history of harness racing is essential to realising the vision for Totalisator Square, a hospitality village precinct and future town centre located adjacent to the iconic heritage listed entrance gates and original tote board. Several heritage buildings will be repurposed for public use, and together, Gloucester Theatre and Totalisator Square will attract a new generation of people to the eastern end of the CBD, improving visitation and providing new long-term alternative revenue streams for Gloucester Park as well as creating a new neighbourhood centre for East Perth.
Michael Radley, GPHR CEO said the proposal represented an exciting path forward for the Club, its Members and the entire local harness industry.
“While I don’t want to pre-empt the outcome of our Members’ vote, we’re very excited about our future vision for Gloucester Park. It will deliver a huge benefit to members, and to everyone involved in the harness racing industry, whether that’s as a trainer, owner or spectator.”
“It’s no secret that attendance at Gloucester Park has been declining in recent years, and we’ve had to work hard to ensure we have funds to maintain the track and facilities in the condition required, let alone preserve and adapt all the heritage structures on site.”
“The vision we have presented to our Members addresses all of our pressing infrastructure needs, preserves our rich heritage, and most importantly it provides new facilities and diversified long term revenue sources to ensure harness racing remains at Gloucester Park.”
Importantly, under its agreement with Hesperia, harness racing will continue at Gloucester Park throughout the multi-year development period, enabling the harness industry to continue its regular and feature racing at the same location.
Hesperia is well-known for its heritage restoration projects including the State Buildings and Como The Treasury, Leederville Hotel Precinct, Victoria House and recent acquisition of the Wool Stores in Fremantle. Hesperia recently announced the expansion of its Heritage Development Advisory services to support the ongoing adaptive reuse of Perth’s unique built form heritage.
The underutilised areas of land on the western side of the property which currently includes the existing grandstands, spectator areas and other structures will form part of a future mixed-use vision for the precinct. Hesperia’s long-term vision is the creation of a vibrant new community, linking the Gloucester Park precinct with other redevelopments in East Perth, ultimately creating an inner-urban lifestyle corridor that connects to the Perth CBD.
Hesperia Director Kyle Jeavons said the company’s track record of sensitive and complex heritage restorations along with its large built form expertise meant their team were in a unique position to assist GPHR develop a commercially achievable vision for the site, given the many challenges of incorporating racing and heritage structures.
“This is a very exciting opportunity for Gloucester Park and Hesperia. We believe the vision that we have collaborated on will deliver genuine long-term benefits for Members and the harness racing industry as a whole, while reinvigorating under-utilised land and the entire precinct.”
“The East Perth corridor has long been earmarked as the gateway to the city, connecting Optus Stadium and the Burswood Peninsula to the rest of the Perth CBD. The proposal we are putting forward will deliver a connected, vibrant community within East Perth and make a significant contribution to the city and tourism in Western Australia.”
Members looking for further information on the proposal can contact Gloucester Park administration directly.
