COTTESLOE council will investigate the feasibility of beach pools after giving the nod to designing the first parts of its contentious $26 million revamp of Cottesloe Beach.
“It is integral to any foreshore plans that a beach pool study is done,” mayor Jo Dawkins said at the council’s meeting on Tuesday.
Afterwards, North Cottesloe ocean pool proponent Chris Shellabear said there were cases for his independent and potentially government- funded project and the design put forward by architect Trevor Saleeba at Cottesloe Groyne.
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READ NOWHowever, the council’s Foreshore Renewal Masterplan for the next five to 10 years, which took nine years to compile and had 460 submissions in public comment until January 27, does not include a pool.
Instead, councillors decided to start designing the plan’s least controversial parts, comprising a new road beach south of the Indiana, new beach shelters, a footpath east of Marine Parade and an adventure playground, with all construction planned for this year.
The public comments will help revise concepts for changing the John Dune Park carpark and adjacent foreshore near Napier Street, the Cottesloe Beach terraces and the beach path north of the Indiana.
A committee comprising two councillors and four residents, each with planning, architecture and design expertise, will set a charter outlining duties to develop the designs for the master plan’s initial components.
Larger proposals supported in public consultation, including reducing the size of the main carpark ad rebuilding the heritage terraces, will not be part of the initial improvements.
The $26 million master plan is partially funded by some of the $9 million from the sale of the Town’s depot several years ago.
The report said the council would seek more State and Federal government funding for the master plan, but the council could set aside about 25 per cent of the $6 million to $8 million it already spent on fixed assets each year.
“The cost of doing nothing is substantial as the vast majority of the infrastructure in the Cottesloe Foreshore Precinct is either passed the end of its useful life, or fast approaching the end of its useful life,” the report said.