A new marina at Rous Head will include a minimum of 100 new boat pens, alongside tourism, commercial and retail facilities, Premier Colin Barnett has announced.
Mr Barnett and Transport Minister Simon O'Brien announced today the state government was calling for proposals from the private sector to create the marina at Rous Head Harbour, in Fremantle.
"This is about providing facilities for boat owners that are needed here," Mr O'Brien said.
"We need pens; we need storage facilities, and that's why we're going out for expressions of interest for proponents to provide those in the best way that they can do it.
"One of the key criteria Fremantle Ports will be looking at is making sure that there is accessibility to the general boating public."
Mr O'Brien said prospective developers would be encouraged to develop their own designs, catering not only for the marina, but onshore boat stacking facilities, a ferry terminal and commercial space for charter vessels.
"We anticipate that there will be 100 pens in round figures available, but we're going out to the marketplace to seek expressions of interest from proponents to get their ideas in," he said.
As part of the project, public access to North Mole and Rous Head would be improved by a new road around land that has been reclaimed by Fremantle Port Authority's dredging operations.
Mr O'Brien said planning and environmental approvals would be easy to obtain for the development.
"This is an established site being used by industry at the moment, so I don't anticipate there will be any extraordinary difficulties with environmental or other approvals," he said.
"The amount of seabed to be reclaimed, I suspect, will also be fairly minimal, and much of the development will actually take place on platforms over the water, rather than on reclaimed land."
Expressions of interest will close in February next year.
