Survey finds Armadale really is the natural place to grow

11/10/07 An increasing number of businesses in the Armadale area have enjoyed strong growth in the last financial year and have an expectation of an even better year to come, according to the findings of the 2007 Community and Business Survey.

11/10/07
An increasing number of businesses in the Armadale area have enjoyed strong growth in the last financial year and have an expectation of an even better year to come, according to the findings of the 2007 Community and Business Survey.
Key findings of the survey, conducted by the Armadale Redevelopment Authority (ARA), have been released by the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure and Armadale MLA Alannah MacTiernan.
Ms MacTiernan said the survey found that not only were existing Armadale businesses confident for the future, but there were also good opportunities for new businesses to start up or move into the area.
The survey found that more than two thirds of businesses anticipated further improvement to growth in 2007-08.
"Armadale is undergoing a renaissance with a number of exciting new residential and business land developments and a rejuvenation of the town centre," she said.
"The city is at the forefront of sustainable development and the survey shows the Armadale area is now perceived to be performing better in comparison to other areas in terms of facilities and overall opportunities.
"Local residents are becoming aware of plans for the area and believe the region is changing for the better as a result.
"The region now has a strong identity that local people are proud to relate to. Armadale is a strong, thriving and robust regional centre and there is no doubt that Armadale really is the natural place to grow."
The business community rated Armadale as performing better in 2007 compared with the previous year on each of the following factors:

  • variety of shopping currently available;
  • number of job opportunities for people;
  • number of new businesses;
  • level of government support to help new and existing businesses in Armadale;
  • level of private investment in Armadale to boost the local economy; and
  • support networks for local Armadale businesses to get together and identify new opportunities.
Other key findings included:
  • 93 per cent of businesses either expected to increase their number of employees or stay the same in the next 12 months;
  • 94 per cent of businesses either expected business activity to improve or stay the same in the next 12 months;
  • 77 per cent of business operators believed Armadale had a strong identity that people could relate to; and
  • 68 per cent of business operators believed Armadale offered good opportunities for new businesses to start up or move into the area.
The ARA came in for praise in the survey, with local residents convinced by the efforts of the ARA to effectively assist with the social development of the region and more than half of businesses showed confidence in the ARA to assist with economic development of the region.
A total of 330 businesses were interviewed in the survey.
Minister's office - 9213 6400


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