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Osborne Park Coates Hire
This vacant car mechanics-type workshop has always been referred to as a Holden Car Yard by urban explorers. It’s most likely because of the green coloured roof side panels, which were previously orange when Coates Hire was based here for some 37 years.
History of the Area
Since the 1950s, this block of land as well as a massive stretch of the north-west end of this area in Osborne Park, appears to have largely been used for market gardens (the red rectangle representing our area of interest).
The 1960’s saw the demise of the market gardens, as the encroaching industrial area began taking over.
There was no slowing down in the 1970s! The factories and warehouses seemed to get bigger and bigger, with industrialisation taking over this corner of the world. Gone were the sustainable green, environmentally friendly and healthy market gardens. They were now a thing of the past!
Construction of the Mitchell Freeway began in 1967 and would continue until the end of the 1980s. It would separate this part of Osborne Park in half.
Fast forward to January this year… and nothing much has changed. Perhaps aside from the train line in the middle of the freeway, that was constructed in the early 1990s.
88 Roberts Street
The block of land is 3,864 m² and the floor space is 452m². It seems to be one of the very few properties, particularly in this area, that hasn’t changed in size since the 1950s. There are three listings for this site on real estate property websites:
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06 October 2020 - Sold for $2,183,500
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22 March 2017 -
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February 2005 – Sold for an undisclosed amount.
Commercial Tenants
Coates Hire was based here for 37 years, from 1971 until June 2008.
Upon Coates Hire moving out, the property was listed for lease by Burgess Rawson with photos taken on 18 June 2008. Interestingly, it was available from January 2010 with a preferred lease of five years for $140,000 (presumably per annum)
The site would remain vacant until a mobile crane company took up the lease sometime in mid-2010. They installed two covered demountable structures in early 2011, which would later become some type of open structure, until it was removed mid-2012. They moved out mid-1014.
AT-PAC moved in mid-2015 to operate their scaffolding manufacturer and supplier company, until they moved to Wangara in July 2018.
The block of land with its existing buildings, as photographed, then remained vacant until mid-2022. It has since been used for storing machinery and trucks, before extensive amounts of concrete pipes.
Today the property appears to be used as a staff carpark for those working for the Intelligent Freeways Alliance, which comprises of NRW, Service Stream Maintenance and WSP, who are working on transforming the Mitchell Freeway.
Somewhere in all this, Destination Financial Planning lists this address for their office.
Development Application
On 27 May 2021, a development application was lodged to change the zoning of the site from warehouse and office, to associated works to construct an industrial park at a cost of $2.3m. It was approved on 24 August 2021.
The application consisted of a two-storey office, six two-storey and five one-storey warehouses, with some to include office and showroom areas, which seems quite a lot for a seemingly small block of land.
Next door to them at 65 Edward Street, something that appears similar to that (when looking from the street) has recently completed construction. Their $2.5m development application was for 17 warehouse units and four office units, which was approved on 04 February 2021.
Returning to our property of interest at 88 Robert Street, an amended development application was lodged on 03 August 2023 for the construction of 12 warehouses, in lieu of the 11 warehouses and one office.
Interestingly, planning approval is now valid for a six year period, whereas it used to be for three year periods, notwithstanding extensions of permits were quite often given upon reasonable application.
In the case of 88 Robert Street, they are required to substantially commence construction by 24 August 2027.
