935 days later: Forrest’s Indiana Teahouse revamp in limbo as Cottesloe council pulls rank

Andrew and Nicola Forrest’s Fiveight has slammed the Town of Cottesloe over its handling of plans to revamp the Indiana Teahouse, after two-and-a-half years of council deliberations ended in the business plan being voted down in secret and without community input.

The decision was made behind closed doors during a two-hour meeting of the council on Tuesday night, 935 days after it was presented with the latest iteration of the redevelopment plan.

A render of a new design for the redevelopment of the Indiana Teahouse in Cottesloe.Credit: Tattarang

While supportive of the need for redevelopment, the council believed there was a lack of community benefit, uncertainty surrounding the financial impact on the town and that the plan in its current form did not meet the design intent of the foreshore master plan.

Instead, the council endorsed a set of parameters for re-planning, sending the company back to the drawing board for the second time in five years.

The ruling outraged Fiveight, with chief executive Paige Walker saying the company was incredibly disappointed by the decision and would now need to consider its next steps.

“We’ve been very cooperative with them through this process,” she said.

“Tonight’s decision was held behind closed doors and the decision was made by councillors without engaging the wider community.

“At the end of the day, we just want a better beachfront for all West Australians. They deserve better amenity, change rooms, surf club facilities and accessibility at Perth’s postcard beach.”

Town of Cottesloe Mayor Lorraine Young defended the decision, saying it was carefully considered and underpinned by a desire to derive as much community benefit from the revamp as possible.

“While there are many things to like in the proposal, such as upgrades to public toilets and a new boatshed, we’re custodians of an incredible asset for all Western Australians – and on balance, the existing proposal didn’t deliver enough community benefit,” she said.

“As a council, we’ve endorsed a set of parameters for the redevelopment of the site that we believe the broader community could support, and we would welcome a revised vision for the Indiana Tea House that works within those parameters.”

But the decision was not unanimous, with councillor Katy Mason later revealing she voted against the motion because she believed there should have been community input and greater transparency from the council.

It may have been two-and-a-half years since the latest plans were presented, but the saga has been dragging on since 2019.

Andrew and Nicola Forrest’s property arm wants to refurbish the beachfront Teahouse site with fine dining, a rooftop pool, an underground spa and a 31-room boutique hotel.

The Cottesloe council had deferred a decision on the proposal pending independent reports into its merits and a business plan after it determined it was complex and warranted legal, environmental and heritage advice.

In late 2022, Fiveight called for a clear timeline and the release of the plans for public consultation.

Since then, the company has issued more than 300 pages worth of additional information to the council and held more than 50 meetings in a bid to progress the proposal, as well as bankrolling consultant fees.

The proposal appeared to have stalled until it resurfaced on the council’s agenda for Tuesday’s meeting and dealt with in private as the matter was considered commercial in confidence.

The Forrests have held a decade-long lease for the Teahouse from the local government since 2019 with the consent of the Lands Minister, with the site designated Crown Land.

The redevelopment plan has been made more complicated by the fact the Teahouse building, which was constructed less than 30 years ago, was heritage listed alongside the rest of the Cottesloe beach precinct midway through the planning process.

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