References pending

​

The arched brick building at 6 London Street, North Perth was built in 1975 as a Midland Brick showroom and outdoor display centre for the company’s products. It stood near the intersection of London Street, Scarborough Beach Road and Loftus Street until its demolition in 2021.

I contacted Midland Brick a few years ago to ask whether they had any information, old photographs or documents I could add to the Perth History Database entry for this site but received no response. These are all the photographs and information I’ve been able to gather so far.

Midland Brick stopped staffing the centre in September 2000 but kept its signs and brick displays there to attract enquiries. Between October 2000 and August 2003, the premises were leased to the company behind the television program Nuts and Bolts.
 

Nicotra Developments Pty Ltd bought the property in 2003 for $650,000. A later planning submission listed several uses of the premises, including production of Nuts and Bolts, Nicotra’s offices, pinball machine sales and displays of nursery items.

 

Several redevelopment proposals followed. In August 2005, the Town of Vincent approved demolition of the showroom and outbuilding but refused a proposed three-storey development containing eight apartments, shops, offices and a café or restaurant.

 

In May 2007, a recommendation to approve a three-storey development with 12 apartments was rejected. Reasons included the building’s size compared with nearby development, objections from residents and insufficient justification for allowing more apartments than the planning rules normally permitted.

 

By 2013, a four-storey proposal was being considered, with 22 apartments, four offices, two shops, a restaurant and basement parking. Revised plans followed but the development didn’t proceed.

 

KGCC Properties Pty Ltd, associated with Kidz Galore, bought the site on 19 August 2020 for $4.95 million. Planning approval was granted on 27 November that year for a childcare centre to replace Kidz Galore’s nearby premises at Haynes Street Reserve.

​

The old Midland Brick building had been demolished by early July 2021, with its removal reported in the 3 July edition of the Perth Voice.

 

The childcare development was delayed by uncertainty over electricity supply, the timing of Western Power’s underground power works and increased construction costs.

 

In February 2024, the owners put the property on the market, seeking a developer who would build on the site and lease part of the completed building back to Kidz Galore for at least 20 years. Options included childcare, offices and medical facilities.

 

The original childcare planning approval expired on 27 November 2024 without substantial work having commenced.

 

By November 2025, the site had been connected to Western Power’s underground grid, resolving the electricity supply issue. Kidz Galore was assessing a larger childcare centre and comparing construction methods and costs to make the project financially viable.

 

At that time, the company intended to lodge a new development application in January 2026 and anticipated completion in the second half of 2027, subject to approval and construction timing.

 

The site remains a vacant block.