Win for Australand on Coogee project

DEVELOPER Australand has received a unanimous decision in its favour from the Supreme Court of Western Australia Court of Appeal allowing planning to begin on the Port Coogee project. The court rejected challenges brought by the Coogee Coastal Action Coalition, which questioned the planning approval process and whether the public’s common law right to fish and navigate on local tidal waters would be impinged. Australand aims to rehabilitate the former industrial site in South Coogee and redevelop the location as a marina, mixed use and residential area. Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan said that, after 17 years of negotiation, the decision brought the shape of the development close to finalisation. The development will create up to 1,300 jobs and inject about $1 billion into the local economy over the next 20 years. “I am confident that the vast majority of Cockburn residents welcome the recreational opportunities a marina will bring,” Ms MacTiernan said.