Cockburn development a step closer

Redevelopment guidelines for the Cockburn coast have been several years in the making, but with the release of a draft structure plan by the state government this week, the project looks set to go ahead.

Described as creating a Western Australian version of Sydney's Manly or Melbourne's St Kilda, the project will develop the last remaining strip of coastal land between South Fremantle and Port Coogee.

Seven precincts of residential and mixed-use space are proposed for the area, anchored by a redevelopment of the heritage-listed South Fremantle power station.

Outside this new town centre, the former Robb Jetty will be converted to public open space and housing, while a retail area similar to Fremantle's cappuccino strip is pegged for Cockburn Road, around the old South Fremantle tip site.

It's the first urban renewal project of its size that specifically addresses the government's Network City policy, adopted in 2004, with the residential densities much higher than similar renewal sites in Perth.

A maximum of 6 per cent of the total 5,300 new dwellings will be single houses, with the majority - 31 to 37 per cent - to be medium or high-rise apartments.

Under the structure plan, high rise is defined as eight storeys and above.

About one third of dwellings will be low rise (three to five storeys), with up to another third to be semi-detached or terrace housing.

With 10,800 new residents expected to move into the development, it will provide a handy boost to the City of Cockburn's population density target under the Network City policy.

The WA Planning Commission is expected to release a set of dwelling targets for individual councils in the next few months, which will determine planning policies for local governments across Perth.

One of the big challenges will be coordinating the project's stakeholders, which include 182 private landowners, eight state government agencies and the cities of Cockburn and Fremantle.

While a decision is yet to be made on how the project will be managed, a spokesperson for the WAPC said there were two options - the creation of a redevelopment authority, or a partnership between LandCorp and the private sector.

The project is also likely to end any discussion of a merger between councils, or an extension of the City of Fremantle's boundary into Cockburn - discussion prompted last year by a local government report.

The Cockburn redevelopment will follow major investment in South Fremantle and Cockburn, linking up residential projects at South Beach and Port Coogee.

Stockland is currently marketing stage two of its South Beach project, comprising 16 apartments, four penthouses and seven beach houses.

Its first stage, of 50 residences across two buildings, is 95 per cent sold, with prices ranging from just under $2 million to $5.5 million.

Property group Hawaiian and boutique developer Match have also lodged a development application for a joint venture residential development at South Beach, won through a government tender.

At the southern end of the new Cockburn development, Australand's Port Coogee project is under way, with a 300-pen marina and a total of 700 lots being constructed.

The company is also developing part of LandCorp's Cockburn Central project, called Nexus.

It released the first of five apartment complexes in March, selling 52 of a total of 67 apartments for between $430,500 and $462,500, with the second stage currently being marketed.

Meanwhile, the Latitude 32 industrial park is included within the precinct of the redevelopment, with LandCorp due to release the first of its lots next month.

The Cockburn coast project covers 332 hectares of land, of which 92 will be subdivided. About 60 ha will be available for residential development.

The Cockburn coast district structure plan, released by the Department for Planning and Infrastructure, will be open for public comment until September.