Immediately south of Roe Street was the former site of the railway marshalling yards that were originally to the west of Perth station; in the 2010s the Perth City Link project sunk and covered the remaining parts of the railway south of Northbridge and opened up the area for redevelopment.

[2] For a considerable length of time in the twentieth century it was also associated in the popular imagination in Western Australia as the location of brothels in Perth.

[3][4][5][6] Dubbed "Rue-de-Roe" by the press, fences were eventually erected along the rail line to shield the public from the view of the brothels on the street.

In the 2010s the Perth City Link project removed the vestiges of the railway yard and sunk and covered the Fremantle railway line, creating a large space for redevelopment of the area to the immediate south of the street.

[11] In June 2021, work began on revitalising a significant portion of the street to make it more pedestrian and bicycle friendly.