Artist impression of the previous Alfred Cove wave park proposal.
Camera IconArtist impression of the previous Alfred Cove wave park proposal. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

City of Melville and Urbnsurf agree to terminate wave park ground lease

Aaron CorlettMelville Gazette

MELVILLE Mayor Russell Aubrey is continuing to campaign for a wave park at Tompkins Park despite the project’s ground lease being cancelled and Urbnsurf’s founder confirming he is eyeing off two new sites.

“I’ll fight for it just like I’ve done for Roe 8 and I’ll keep moving forward with optimism,” he told the Melville Times.

“I’m willing to die on my sword ahead of the October elections. Tony Abbott said in his speech recently that he’d rather be a loser than a quitter and I’m feeling the same way.”

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Wave park dead in the water

Urbnsurf concede no wave park for Alfred Cove

Tompkins Park redevelopment put on hold

Mr Aubrey said he still believed the Alfred Cove location was the only viable location for the project.

The City confirmed on Wednesday that both parties signed off on the deed of release on May 28.

The council made a behind-closed-doors decision in April to work towards mutually terminating the lease.

The project had been dealt a death blow in late March when the State Government decided to reject the City’s bid for 400sqm of crown land needed for the project.

Urbnsurf founder and executive chairman Andrew Ross said given the situation, there was no other option.

“We are incredibly disappointed with the outcome but we are still working with the State Government to identify another site,” he said.

“There are two sites that may or may not work and we believe the government is working in good faith.”

Mr Ross confirmed Urbnsurf would be given back $100,000 that it paid the City as a bond as part of the lease.

Lands Minister Ben Wyatt said at the time that he admired the enthusiasm of the developers but that it was land owned by the community and it was “impossible to justify locking future generations out of the space.”

Mr Wyatt indicated that the State Government would work with Urbnsurf to find another location.

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Camera IconImage Credit: Supplied/AAPIMAGE

The ground lease had been signed in April 2017 and then extended in October 2018 following delays to the project.