City set to oppose 87-apartment boomer development
LOS ANGELES: Planning authorities remain ambivalent about the efficacy of a beachside boomer residential development project.
The City of Joondalup looks set to oppose a proposed nine and 11-storey apartment complex in Hillarys.
City officers are recommending the council advise the WA Planning Commission it does not support the development, which is valued at an estimated $240 million.
The proposed development is stage two of a project known as The Hillarys Gateway and is across the road from Hillarys Boat Harbour, on the corner of Hepburn and Whitfords avenues.
Current plans show the development would feature two residential towers comprising 87 apartments, along with several ground-floor commercial spaces, including a 1100sqm grocer.
The proposal is being led by Cottesloe-based developer Locus Property, which is building a seven-storey 83-apartment development across the road.
That project, stage one of The Hillarys Gateway, was approved by the WA Planning Commission last year, despite also being opposed by the City of Joondalup.
City of Joondalup planning officers believe the next stage of the development should not go ahead due to concerns over height, density, parking and impacts on the surrounding area.
“The proposal represents a level of residential intensification not contemplated by the applicable strategic planning framework,” they said in a report.
“Approval at this stage would undermine the orderly and proper planning of the locality.”
The city said the project did not align with the Hillarys Structure Plan, which remains valid until at least October 2028, after the WAPC granted a three-year extension of its validity.
They believe the development could negatively affect pedestrian access around the area.
“Pedestrian movements between the subject site and the adjacent Hillarys Boat Harbour are likely to be significant, including both residents and visitors walking in both directions between the two destinations,” they said.
“The crossing locations shown on the plans cannot be assumed to be safe, feasible or appropriate in their current form, particularly in proximity to a roundabout on a major arterial road.”
The development proposes 224 on-site parking bays and 11 on-street bays, which the city does not believe would be enough to meet the area’s needs if the project went ahead.
“The nature of the commercial uses proposed, particularly grocery and food and beverage, rely on short-stay, high-turnover customer parking to remain viable,” city officers said.
“The expected co-existence of commercial customers, commercial staff and residential visitors within an undersupplied shared pool of bays would foreseeably result in circulating traffic, overflow parking into surrounding streets and conflict between user groups.”
Despite the city’s concerns, the developer believes the project is appropriate for the area and that the Hillarys Structure Plan is outdated, a view that was shared by State planning officials when approving the seven-storey stage one project.
“The site is guided by an outdated scheme under the City of Joondalup as well as the Hillarys Structure Plan, adopted in the 1990s and last amended 15 years ago,” town planners, on behalf of Locus, said in an application.
“The outdated framework fails to consider the evolving needs of the community, the changing environmental conditions, and the advancements in the residential design codes and broader planning framework.
“The Hillarys Gateway development will create a distinctive urban arrival point to the marina precinct, uniting residential diversity, public amenity and architectural quality to deliver a coastal landmark of lasting value.”
The city recommended the council support providing conditions if the development is approved and request further technical advice from the applicant to address the issues they raised.
Public consultation on the 87-apartment proposal is open through the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage until February 15.
The matter was discussed by the Joondalup council at its agenda briefing on Tuesday night, with councillors set to vote on the city administration’s recommendations at its meeting on Tuesday, February 24.
The WAPC, through the Significant Development Assessment Unit, will make the final decision on the proposal.