The State Government is ready to take a revised concept plan for the development of the Albany waterfront to the next level.
Plans unveiled last week still require the approval of the local council, but shire president Andrew Hammond said the proposal had been enthusiastically received.
“It is an exciting and innovative proposal that addresses ongoing commercial viability issues as well as being a good aesthetic fit for Albany,” Mr Hammond told WA Business News.
“Foreshore development has been a hot topic of conversation and this proposal is fantastic.
“The community has given the message that they want to get on with the project – they have been waiting a long time.
Mr Hammond said there had been some discussion about height limits as it was important that the view from the main street was retained.
Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan said the site was world class and deserved a world class development that would serve the Albany community and attract people to the region.
“Rather than seeing its proximity to a working port as a problem, we want to build on the romance and theatre of the port to create a bustling, waterfront development,” she said.
“We have taken what was initially a marina development and incorporated a range of maritime, tourism and commercial uses linking to the port and bringing the community back to the project.
“Throughout the world the move is to better integrate ports with the community. Fremantle demonstrates the community benefits of this theory and, once complete, the Albany waterfront project will provide another example.”
Albany Port Authority CEO Brad Williamson said the port authority had been consulted throughout the process and that he didn’t see a conflict between the waterfront development and the port’s activities.
“Certainly the port will expand in future – in the next five to seven years the tonnage will double, and that is 90 per cent driven by woodchips,” he said. “However, the port would not be expanding in the direction of the proposed development, and the site we currently have is big enough to expand on.
“I don’t see a conflict between the port and a foreshore development, and the two will be located quite close to each other and I believe they can coexist.”
LandCorp will develop the site on behalf of the Government and CEO Ross Holt said the development’s ultimate success could rely on good planning.
“We will move as quickly as we can to start the development; the main thing is obtaining the environmental approvals,” he said.
There would be ample opportunity for input throughout the community and environmental processes, Mr Holt said.
Port Proposal
- A harbour village for commercial and short-stay tourist accommodation built around a small boat harbour with appropriate wave protection.
- Seven pens adjacent to tourist precinct for charter boats.
- Commercial/tourist development of 21,000sqm.
- A boat-launching facility.
- A wharf with fueling facilities and 10 pens for fishing vessels.
- A fishing industry precinct.
- A port use precinct.
- Continued use of the town jetty for various tourist activities.