The Wanneroo council this month approved the foreshore management plan for 700m of coastline in Stockland’s Amberton Estate, with conditions about the cafe location.
A report originally presented to the council in September, and referred back for more assessment of the cafe site, said the developer wanted to build the temporary cafe on a dune in the 30-year coastal processes line.
“This is an elevated position to capture the views of the ocean and the coastline,” the December 8 report said.
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READ NOW“It is estimated that the asset will have a structural lifespan of between 30 to 40 years in a coastal setting.
“The City’s view is that more expensive assets such as car parks, cafes and children’s play areas should be located in areas where they are not going to be potentially impacted by coastal erosion before the end of the asset’s natural lifespan.”
The report said Stockland had advised the City in October-November that it planned to subdivide the relevant area into freehold land and transfer it to the WA Planning Commission.
“The proposed arrangement is similar to that developed between Peet and the WAPC at Shorehaven,” it said.
“Administration understands the reason for this change is that the leasing of the site is achievable in the freehold arrangement, whereas Crown land, public recreation reserve, may not secure a power to lease.”
Without discussion, the council approved the plan and conditions that the cafe be located between the 30-50 year lines or, if land was transferred to WAPC, that the lease meet the city’s advice.
Other conditions required the city’s preferred site to be included in the masterplan, and grassed areas and paths to lie west of the car parks.
When presented to the council in September, Save our foreshore Quinns Beach campaign co-founder Nat Sangalli, who is now a councillor, said she supported the staff recommendation.
“There will be a community expectation if this cafe is built next to the beach and erosion starts that someone is responsible for fixing it,” she said.
A foreshore cafe is being built in the adjacent Shorehaven estate.