Wanju Welcome Bentley St James

What’s being shaped?

City of Canning’s 16 neighbourhoods are dynamic, each with their own unique characteristics, aspirations and opportunities.

Wanju Welcome Bentley St James aspires to create a neighbourhood of welcome in which everyone feels like they belong, can be themselves and take ownership for shaping the neighbourhood's shared story.

We want to hear your own story of Bentley St James to understand past, present and potential stories of the local area. The stories will help us understand the local community's vision for what makes a great neighbourhood and how we can work together to breathe new life and vitality into Bentley St James.

Backstory

Bentley and St James are both located on Whadjuk Country. The Whadjuk Noongar history within Canning is as significant today as it was in the past.

The Djarlgarro Beelier (Canning River) provided an abundance of resources as well as food for the Noongar people. The area reportedly had one of the highest densities of Noongar population in Western Australia.

Bentley and St James are suburbs within the City of Canning and are located 8kms from the Perth CBD.

Established as a suburb in the 1940's, Bentley contained a high percent of public and social housing. In 1969-1970, the Brownlie Towers precinct was created which had its own school, community centre, shopping area, swimming pools and sports facilities. The towers were demolished in 2019 making way for the upcoming 'Bentley 360' project which plans to redevelop and infill the area.

St James is another historical suburb gazetted by the City of Canning in the 1950’s also with a high percent of public and social housing and with plenty of heritage and authentic character.

Today, there is a large young population within the areas, Bentley’s population contains above the state average for people aged 20-34 years due to the tertiary institutions in the area and large amount of student housing. Bentley also has a large amount of residents who were born overseas adding to the diversity within the area.

There are already many active community groups within the area.

Get Involved

A great neighbourhood has a strong identity that builds connectedness in its community. We believe our relationship to a neighbourhood is strengthened when we're invested in its past, present and potential stories.

The Bentley St James Neighbourhood Survey is now closed, you can read the Neighbourhood Snapshot.

You can also email welcome@canning.wa.gov.au kelly.harding@canning.wa.gov.au directly, with any ideas or enquiries to get involved.

What are the next steps?

Read the neighbourhood snapshot report.