The City of Stirling has unveiled plans for two prime parcels of land between the ocean and The Esplanade strip in Scarborough.
The two vacant sites connect the upper and lower promenades on either side of the Scarborough Clock Tower and Amphitheatre.
With a combined area of 4700 square metres, the sites have been covered in mulch since 2018.
But that is all about to change.
The northern site will be set aside as public space to be used for sport, recreation and events.
Meanwhile, the southern site will be subject to a commercial expressions of interest process for a low-scale, hospitality-led destination that steers away from bar-focused options.
“Like a lot of people around Scarborough, I can’t wait for the woodchips to be gone, so it’s great to see some movement on this.”
Mark Irwin
City of Stirling Mayor Mark Irwin said the ideal development for the southern patch of land would be one or two storeys high and would target family-friendly experiences.
“About a decade ago, we saw this incredible $100 million redevelopment of Scarborough, and obviously the two pieces in the puzzle that have not yet been realised are these big pieces of wood chips that sit behind us,” Irwin told media on Tuesday.
“Almost 5000 square meters of land that is developable and ready to make Scarborough dynamic and realise that vision that was once intended.”
Irwin said the city would put out expressions of interest for the southern site on Wednesday.
“These are now known as the gateway sites for Scarborough, the welcome and the entry point. We want to see what the market will tell us should be here,” he said.
“We are looking for anything that complements what the existing infrastructure down here delivers for Scarborough. We want hospitality, tourism, but the focus of it has to be family and recreation.
“We’d expect hospitality, maybe some small retail shops, but also maybe interfacing with the community in a recreation form as well.
“But what we don’t want is another nightclub. We don’t want nightclubs or high-intensity late-night bars down here.
“Quality restaurants, food and beverage offerings, wine bars, small surf shop style retail down here, even things like paddle sports, something that really integrates with the community and brings them in.”
The two sites were reopened to the public in 2018 following a $100 million redevelopment of the foreshore.
Irwin said the city regained control over the foreshore in 2023 from Development WA, allowing them to make changes to the popular beachfront area.
“Whilst the whole control of this site was under Development WA, we had no ability to negotiate or to deal with these properties,” he said.
“My dream is this process will be fairly quick, and we’ll see something sort of hit the ground in the next year or two.”
What other developments are happening (or not) in Scarborough?
A drive around Scarborough would show a number of vacant or empty sites, but Irwin says there is a lot of development happening too.
“We see a development that’s just been recently approved up on West Coast Highway for build-to-rent … and recently, we’ve actually signed the lease for a hotel along West Coast Highway,” he said.
“So there is still a lot of interest in Scarborough, and we just need the market to support it in terms of the development there.”
In September, a $130 million development application for a high-rise apartment build-to-rent tower was approved for 200 West Coast Highway.
The development will become the tallest beachside development in Perth, reaching seven floors higher than the nearby Rendezvous Hotel.
With 246 build-to-rent dwellings across 26 storeys, the development will comprise 160 one-bedroom apartments, 65 two-bedroom and 21 three-bedroom apartments with 37 apartments set to be provided as affordable dwellings.
In February, the City of Stirling approved a ground-lease with WA-based Lofte Property for a hotel with a beginning rent rate of $370,0000.
Irwin said a development application is expected to be submitted for the hotel “shortly”.
Meanwhile down the road, the contentious 3 Oceans 43 storey high-rise development is no closer to coming to fruition.
“We have had very little engagement with them, disappointingly,” Irwin said. “We’d love to see something happen on that site.”
Woolworths Group is also yet to begin work on the former White Sands Tavern site, which got the tick of approval for plans of up to 29 storeys in 2021.
Irwin said internal demolition of the former La Capannina restaurant is underway and is expected to go out to market in the near future.
“There’s been a lot of interest on that site. It gives us a lot of hope, in fact, for the future,” Irwin said.
As for whether he believes the community is ready for more high-rise buildings, Irwin says feedback has been more positive lately.
“[Developments from] 12 to 18 storey heights, we think is sufficient for this area still to make it acceptable,” he said.
“I think the community is a lot more ready to receive those, and part of that is the fact that a lot of people who live in Scarborough now live in those high rises that have been built.”
The EOI for the foreshore south site closes on November 18 and will be followed by a request for detailed proposals early next year.
“This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity in an incredible location, and I’m sure we’re going to have a lot of interest,” Irwin said.
“Like a lot of people around Scarborough, I can’t wait for the woodchips to be gone, so it’s great to see some movement on this.”