AN outdoor cinema, grassed amphitheatre and aquatic playground may soon be found along Scarborough Beach as part of the City of Stirling’s bid to revitalise the area in the heart of the Sunset Coast.
Despite considerable investment in coastal development and infrastructure, Scarborough Beach has so far failed to live up to its potential, according to a report commissioned by the city.
But that is set to change, with residents, businesses and the city council developing a $4.2 million plan to bring the public back to Perth’s most popular metropolitan beach.
“The area was given a make-over in the 1980s but now it is starting to look a little worse for wear,” city planning manager, Theo Looij said.
“We are in a new century now and it is time to bring Scarborough Beach into it.”
The plan, which is yet to be officially adopted by the city council, promotes more mixed resid-ential and commercial develop-ments, increases in residential density and more short-stay accom-modation.
Design guidelines for private properties and street furniture would also be introduced to create and maintain a Scarborough Beach theme.
More beach-side activities are also proposed with an outdoor cinema, amphitheatre, beach volleyball area and aquatic playground all on the agenda.
Report principal consultant Rory O’Brien, of O’Brien Planning Consultants, attributed the decline of Scarborough Beach’s popularity to other successful developments in the metropolitan area.
“It is generally recognised that Scarborough has not lived up to the original expectations of the mid 80s,” Mr O’Brien said.
“The Hillarys Boat Harbour development was very successful and people started to desert Scarborough,”
“And then with Northbridge and Fremantle becoming popular, the place just became dead.”
Mr O’Brien expected the plan, titled the Scarborough Environs Area Strategy, to reverse the trend and bring major economic benefits to the local economy.
