Morley Galleria is a shopping centre in Morley, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. In a PerthNow report published on 18 July 2024, local residents and elected representatives criticised the owner, Vicinity Centres, for not progressing a $350 million expansion it announced in November 2020. The company later said it would defer the project “until the retail market strengthened.” At the time of that report, the 36-year-old centre had seen no upgrades, and Vicinity could not confirm a start date. The July 2024 article is the most recent published account this piece relies on, so it describes the project as it stood then, not as it stands today.
How the expansion was announced and deferred
The project’s public history runs in three stages. The dates below are the ones the 2024 report gives; where it gives no date, the table says so.
| Date | What happened | Basis for this article |
|---|---|---|
| November 2020 | Vicinity Centres announces a $350 million expansion of Morley Galleria. | Reported by PerthNow in July 2024. |
| Later statement (date not stated in the report) | Vicinity says it will defer the project “until the retail market strengthened.” | Reported by PerthNow in July 2024. |
| 18 July 2024 | PerthNow reports no upgrades to the centre and no confirmed start date. | Describes the position at publication only. |
| After 18 July 2024 | Any start date, revised scope, approval, or further deferral. | Not stated in the 2024 report; not established by this article. |
The headline’s “four-year” figure counts from the 2020 deferral to the July 2024 report. It is a measure of elapsed time at publication, not a measure of how long the delay has lasted since.
What had changed at the centre by mid-2024
PerthNow reported three conditions at the centre as of July 2024:
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- More than 10 retailers and eateries had vacated since 2020, including McDonald’s and Wendy’s (PerthNow, July 2024).
- The second storey was described as having only a handful of stores remaining.
- No upgrades had been made to the 36-year-old centre (PerthNow’s description at publication).
These are the report’s observations of the centre in July 2024. They are not an independent building condition assessment, and they should not be read as the centre’s condition today.
Vicinity Centres’ response
When approached for the report, Vicinity Centres could not confirm a start date for the project. A spokesperson said:
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“Vicinity Centres is working hard to meet its commitments on the revitalisation of Galleria and delivering a contemporary centre that meets the retail, entertainment and leisure needs of the community.”
The spokesperson also said the company would progress its planned investment in the future. That statement gives no timetable, scope, or approval status.
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Local and political reaction
The report presents the following positions as attributed statements from the people quoted, not as neutral findings:
- Bayswater mayor Filomena Piffaretti: “For years, we have been lobbying Vicinity to action the Morley Galleria redevelopment as a much-needed project that will benefit both the community and businesses.”
- Bayswater deputy mayor Elli Petersen-Pik: “Since the 90s there has been no significant reinvestment and now parts of it feel like an abandoned shopping centre.”
- Maylands MLA Lisa Baker: “My local community deserves a functional, safe space that serves to improve the local area, not be a broken-down concrete jungle.”
- Morley MLA Amber-Jade Sanderson: “Our community has run out of patience with Vicinity’s empty promises with regards to the Galleria.”
A petition had gathered more than 3,300 signatures at the time of the report. That count is a July 2024 figure and is not a current tally.
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What the 2024 reporting does not establish
The available report cannot tell a reader the following, and this article does not claim them:
- Whether a construction start date has been set.
- Whether the scope of the $350 million expansion has changed.
- Whether any planning approval has been granted or sought.
- Whether further tenants have left or new ones have signed since July 2024.
- Whether the community facilities, retail mix or timing in earlier announcements still apply.
How to check the current status
Anyone tracking this project after July 2024 should work through these checks in order, and record the date and source of each finding:
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- Check Vicinity Centres’ own news and centre announcements for Morley Galleria, and note any dated project update.
- Search the City of Bayswater’s planning and development application records for the Galleria site. A lodged application is not the same as an approval, so confirm the decision status separately.
- Search Western Australian Parliament Hansard for mentions of Morley Galleria or Galleria redevelopment after July 2024.
- Search news coverage dated after 18 July 2024 and compare it against the company’s own statements.
Why deferrals of this kind matter to construction
For a builder or developer, the stated reason for deferral, “the retail market strengthened,” points to feasibility rather than design. Shopping centre expansions usually depend on tenant commitments, lease terms and the cost of staging works around trading tenants. A redevelopment that is deferred rather than cancelled can stay on hold for years while those conditions are reassessed. This is general industry context; the 2024 report does not say which of these factors, if any, shaped Vicinity’s decision on Morley Galleria.
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