Source : Perth Now news
A new 4.5 star hotel could soon rise in the Mandurah Ocean Marina.
TBB Planning has made an application on behalf of its client, WA Property Investors Pty Ltd, to the City of Mandurah to change planning rules for two sites currently used for parking in the marina.
The sites are Lot 24 Breakwater Parade and Lot 107 Dolphin Drive.
The City of Mandurah currently has a 20‑year agreement to use a 110-bay carpark on Lot 24 until January 2039. It pays $1 per year and looks after maintenance.
There are no immediate changes to parking, but if a future development is proposed and approved, the number of bays would be reduced to 50.
The Dolphin Drive site is part of the Seashells Resort. It includes an open-air carpark and was the site for an approved but uncompleted expansion of the resort.
These sites are some of the last undeveloped pieces of land in the Mandurah Ocean Marina. They are close to Town Beach, shops and restaurants.
The applicants want to change the planning rules for the sites so they can be developed into a hotel or other tourism accommodation, small supporting businesses such as cafes, restaurants or shops, and a small number of residential apartments.
The changes would allow buildings of up to four storeys along Breakwater Parade, up to eight storeys across the remainder of Lot 24, and up to 14 storeys on part of the Dolphin Drive site, which would be two storeys taller than the previously approved Seashells Resort expansion.
The landowners believe this will make it possible to build a high‑quality hotel. They have told the city hotel groups such as Hilton, Marriott and Rydges believe a 4.5‑star hotel would work well here and meet current demand.
Any future development would require a separate approval process and more community consultation.
TBB Planning director Rachel Chapman said in the application to the city the sites were well suited to a hotel or tourism-focused development.
“A hotel or tourism-style development would be compatible with the existing urban character of the locality and would reinforce the established function of the area as a visitor and activity hub,” she said.
“The subject properties represent the final major landholdings yet to be developed within the Mandurah Ocean Marina precinct.
“By applying appropriate development controls, the amendment will provide certainty for landowners, decision-makers and the community, while enabling the delivery of a high-quality tourism development that reinforces Mandurah’s role as a premier coastal destination.”
Breakwater Parade resident Jacqueline Del Bravo asked at the council’s May 26 meeting if its lease and restrictive covenant on Lot 24 would no longer apply if the proposed land use and zoning changes went ahead.
City director of strategy and economic development James Campbell-Sloan said any changes to the agreement that allowed for public parking would need to be considered by the council before any construction could start.
“However, at this early stage in the process the proponent has agreed to permanently providing 50 parking bays for the public within the development,” he said.
The city’s website says there are other free public parking options within a short walking distance of the marina.
Ms Del Bravo also asked what kind of entertainment venues would be allowed on the ground floor of the proposal opposite residential homes.
Mr Campbell-Sloan said uses such as restaurants, cafes, offices, shops, a brewery or tavern could be allowed as part of an integrated tourism development.
“The existing precinct structure plan outlines that non-residential uses must occupy the ground floor of a new development in areas as having a semi-active frontage, so it won’t be residential,” he said.
“City officers have not yet completed an assessment of the proposals and we need to ensure that the proposal results in an outcome that meets the strategic objectives of the precinct, but also the regulatory requirements such as the land uses and … where they’re being located, bearing in mind the zoning requirements immediately surrounding the site.”
Submissions to the City of Mandurah close on June 25.
