DevelopmentWA refuses $100m Scarborough tower

A proposed 27-storey apartment project in Scarborough has been knocked back by the DevelopmentWA board for excessive bulk, height, and scale.

Singapore-based developer Meadpoint had proposed a build-to-rent apartment development at 200 West Coast Highway.

The development, which has an estimated value of $100 million, proposed to house 262 build-to-rent apartments including 40 affordable dwellings, being 15 per cent of the total residential units proposed.

However, the DevelopmentWA board refused the application during its meeting in mid-December with reasons for the decision recently released.

In its reasons for refusal, the board found the proposed building failed to build a sense of place, create economic wellbeing or promote urban efficiency.

The board also considered the development would be of excessive bulk and scale and inconsistent with the design guidelines for Scarborough.

The proposed apartment building on 200 West Coast Highway. Image: Plus Architecture via DevelopmentWA documents

The proposed height of 27 storeys exceeds the 18-storey limit for the area, according to the board’s reasons for refusal.

“The scale of the proposed development will have a negative impact on the amenity of neighbours and the locality as it does not respond appropriately to the streetscape or site context,” the board said.

“The design incorporates inefficiencies and inadequate levels of residential and public realm amenity that do not demonstrate a high-quality design outcome such as inactive frontages and limited opportunities for high-quality landscaping, overshadowing of public and private realms and insufficient wind mitigation measures to balconies and the public realm to ensure safe and comfortable environments.

“The proposal does not offer the active commercial frontage following ‘main street design principles’ envisaged along West Coast Highway, with only a small shop proposed at ground floor that is partially recessed.”

A lack of sufficient parking bays for visitors was also cited among the reasons for refusal.

The DevelopmentWA meeting agenda shows Meadpoint had already revised its development application after the committee repeated its concerns on the excessive bulk and scale of the proposal in two pre-lodgment briefings.

A 45-unit rental property on the site called The Tide would have to be demolished to make way for the development.

RP data shows 200 West Coast Highway was sold for $8.3 million in early 2018.

The site was part of the Scarborough Redevelopment Area under DevelopmentWA control.

The area was last year returned to City of Stirling’s jurisdiction in a process named normalisation.