Boomers seek pristine homes and life on the beach
NEW YORK: The idea of heaven on earth being a pristine home on a golden sand beach still lures baby boomers.
The density debate has hit fever pitch with a new $185 million plan for the Cottesloe beachfront that would result in three towers rising up to 12 storeys.
Under the rejigged proposal, the iconic Ocean Beach Hotel and surrounding buildings on Marine Parade would be demolished and replaced by two 12-storey towers — exceeding local height limits by up to 6m — as well as a 10-storey tower.
The new plan replaces a $165 million proposal announced last year which revolved around one 10-storey tower that exceeded the height limit by only 2.5m.
OBH land owner Stan Quinlivan, pictured below, rejected criticism that the hundreds of apartments and hotel rooms, as well as a dozen new shops and eateries, would turn the exclusive suburb into a glitzy, high-density “Cott Vegas.”
He said he expected opposition from some of the notoriously anti-high rise locals, despite his efforts to appeal to local sensitivities.
”Having lived and breathed this business, this location, and most importantly its people for 50 years we have a solid understanding of our responsibility as the owner of a high-profile community asset to encourage sustainable growth and diversity in our beachside village,” he said.
“This is a legacy development for my family, which hopefully the community will enjoy and appreciate for many years to come.”
Mr Quinlivan claimed the plans were superior to the design announced early last year, with fewer hotel rooms — 120 compared to the original 167 — and only 200 apartments, down from the 229 in the last proposal.
The precinct will include 593 car bays, including 140 for public use, which is down from 775 bays in the last design, when 200 were set aside for the public.
But the new plan provides for bigger apartments and double the amount of public space required under the local planning scheme, increasing it from 14 to 29 per cent of the site, through its retail and hospitality outlets, an ageing-in-place advisory hub, a hotel day spa, a public piazza and landscaped walkways.
The 11,694 sqm site would include three swimming pools for exclusive use of apartment residents and hotel guests.
Mr Quinlivan said the sometimes rowdy 115-year-old Ocean Beach Hotel, pictured inset,would be rebuilt as a smaller, more sophisticated bar that would not attract the booze buses that were drawn to existing pub.
Edge Living executive director Gavin Hawkins, who will partner on the development, said there would likely be four to six penthouses.
He expected the development that would appeal to local downsizers and would maintain Cottesloe’s sophisticated “sandy feet and board shorts” vibe. “It’s more Byron Bay than Gold Coast,” he said.
Mr Quinlivan conceded some homeowners in surrounding areas would lose their ocean views, but said no-one had a legal right to a view anyway.
The towers will be among the only structures in low-rise Cottesloe to cast a shadow over the beach sand, which would last from sunrise until about 7.35am on the Summer Solstice, on December 31, in line with the scheme. The shadow from the southern building would leave the beach at 7.17am in peak summer.
The proposal will be assessed by the State Government’s State Development Assessment Panel, which must give due regard to local planning laws on issues such as height, but is not legally bound by them.
The authority set up during the COVID lockdown to fast-track developments has so far approved all 15 proposals put to it, drawing accusations it is merely rubberstamp for developers. But David Hillam, principal of Hillam architects, said the SDAU had already put the new design through a stringent review, and had it watered down an earlier plan for a 15-storey tower.
He said the current plan was more elegant than the last proposal, allowing more view corridors, including a nod to the art deco heritage design cues, among others.
But anti-highrise campaigner John Hammond said the plan undermined the neighbourhood’s relaxed, low rise, heritage character.
He predicted Marine Parade’s relaxed vibe would become gridlocked with traffic.
“I think it will turn the neighbourhood into Cott Vegas,” he said.
Mr Hammond said thousands of locals were vehemently opposed to high rise, but said the odds were against them because of the State Government’s well-publicised support for beachfront development.
Premier Mark McGowan last year said Cottesloe was like a “Roman ruin” and should be more like Rockingham.
But Mr Hammond said high rise was better suited to Scarborough, which had a wider beach.
It’s a legacy development which hopefully the community will enjoy.
