CJ Grosvenor, New Albana

Grosvenor Airport and the southwestern suburbs
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The commuter railway connection to Grosvenor Airport actually has been on the agenda of numerous Federal governments since the construction of the airport in the mid-1940s. There have been several proposals from key stakeholders including the Federal Government of New Albana and the private sector to build a new "railway spur" that branches off from the existing Shorncliffe line. The most prominent of these include the 1995 Cross City Metro proposal. The initial plan was to build two new metro lines - Line A and Line B. The Line A proposal include a new underground line to Grosvenor Airport via Edge Hill from both Queen and William Street stations. The Line B proposal includes a new metro line, both underground and overground, between Erskineville and Hailsham via Whitford.

The Federal Government of New Albana subsequently vetoed the Line A part of the Cross City Metro proposal in favour of funding the Line B (Erskineville-Hailsham line) instead. Line B was simply renamed into 'Cross City Metro' which was opened in 1997.

The upcoming 2017 General Election shows a promising future for this persisting transport issue in Grosvenor where both major parties have the airport rail link in their manifesto. The Conservative Party promises to build a new "railway spur" from the existing Shorncliffe line whereas the Liberal Party opts for a new underground line with several new stations between the Airport and CBD. The outcome of the 2017 General Election will have a significant influence on the development of a much-needed airport rail link.

Miles Platting
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Like any other Western cities, urban sprawl is too a serious problem for Grosvenor. The metropolitan region, which accounts for approximately 75% of the national population, stretches nearly 80 kilometres north-south. The suburb of Miles Platting is an excellent example of this.

Miles Platting is the first master-planned community in New Albana, located approximately 30 kilometres south of the city. The development of Miles Platting as a new suburb officially commended in 1967 and to date, the developer has won numerous awards for its design. Miles Platting was considered instrumental in the creation of affordable housing within New Albana. The development was also the first modern housing suburb in New Albana to contain small lot product, a first during its time which was very unusual compared to housing development trends seen in the United States and Australia in the 1960s (quarter-acre blocks).The master-planned community of Miles Platting contained retail, commercial, educational, residential, retirement and recreational uses. The entire suburb is linked by an extensive network of pedestrian and cycle paths, which are integrated into the large open space network. Again, this kind of development is one of the first in the modern Western world at the time. The success story of Miles Platting development paved the way for new master-planned suburbs and communities around the outskirts of Grosvenor which contributed to the continuation of the serious urban sprawl problem within the metropolitan region.

Despite the distance to Grosvenor CBD (30km), Miles Platting proved to be very popular for young families as the suburb is still very well maintained and attractive. The median price for a 3-bedroom house with a backyard in Miles Platting is $349,000 which is quite cheap compared to the average of $600,000 across Grosvenor. The suburb has a wide range of shops, services, amenities and other facilities as well a commuter train station in Kilbride (2 kilometres east). Miles Platting is immediately adjacent to the South Road which is one of the busiest roads in Grosvenor and it connects directly to the CBD.

Miles Platting today is home to a population of 20,900.

Clapham Junction and the Central Business District in the distance
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Prior to the major redevelopment of Clapham Junction, the area was used as a railway depot, stabling yard, maintenance and service centre for the metropolitan network. The Clapham Junction Depot was one of the largest in New Albana, however, due to proximity to the CBD and prime real estate value for the site, the Federal Government of New Albana sold the site in 2005 to a developer. All trains that use Clapham Junction Depot as a base were subsequently relocated to other railway depots throughout the metropolitan region.

The redevelopment of the site officially commenced in 2007 and was completed within five years, in 2012. This project consists of three new residential highrise buildings and a new marketplace with new open space parklands. As part of this major redevelopment, a new train station was also built on the Richmond and Cockburn lines.

Bentleigh
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Bentleigh is one of the biggest commercial/retail non-CBD centre in Grosvenor and is located approximately seven kilometres southeast of the CBD. At the 2015 Census, Bentleigh had a population of 19,134. The suburb is also located on one of the busiest transport corridors within the metropolitan region, often dubbed as the "Richmond Corridor". This corridor consists of a road, a commuter train line, several tram and light rail lines and bus lines. Bentleigh station is one of the largest non-CBD public transport interchanges in Grosvenor.

The main shopping region of Bentleigh runs along Commercial Road and Castle Road. Trade along these two arteries are focused on trendy and upmarket shopping, restaurants, nightclubs and cafe culture. The area of Bentleigh centred along Castle Road was for several decades one of Grosvenor's gay villages.

The major landmark in Bentleigh is most definitely the Jam Factory, one of the largest multi-floor shopping centres in Grosvenor. The Jam Factory was initially a factory which was converted into an upmarket shopping centre in 1995. There are also several heritage-listed buildings in the area including the Bentleigh State High School (1832), the former railway station building (1874), local post office (1875), marketplace (1890) and the Bentleigh Manor (1899). The history of Bentleigh dates back to 1792 when it was originally a small farming hamlet on Richmond Road between Grosvenor and Richmond, which were two tiny towns in the Colonial years. Bentleigh did not develop into a major commercial/retail centre until the construction of a tram line on Commercial Road in the 1920s.

Lastly, Bentleigh is also home to some of Grosvenor's most prestigious residential addresses. Residential land price records have been set by properties in Commercial Road, Welsh Street and Drummoyne Street.