Planning body backs Blackburne’s $200m City Beach apartment plan amid community furore

The state’s peak planning body has given luxury apartment developer Blackburne’s $200 million plan to bring high-rise to City Beach the go-ahead after a marathon meeting, despite staunch community opposition.

More than 220 people converged on the Boulevard Centre in Floreat on Thursday, where the WA Planning Commission held its meeting in recognition of the significant community interest.

Blackburne’s $200 million Ocean Village development earmarked for City Beach.Credit: MJA Studios.

The plan was supported unanimously.

Commission board member Jane Bennett told the meeting height was an issue Perth was clearly grappling with, but said it was part and parcel of being in a maturing city and warned it was something residents could expect to see more of.

Others considered the site appropriate for its extensive public transport links and the development’s capacity to improve housing diversity in the area.

Two dozen residents lodged public deputations for the marathon meeting, the lion’s share of which doggedly opposed the plan based on its extreme height and bulk, overshadowing and the “radical” impact it would have on the character of the locality.

Others expressed concern about the impact of injecting more than 250 new residents on traffic and questioned the veracity of the proponent’s modelling, while claiming there had been a lack of consultation.

Among them, newly elected Churchlands MP Basil Zempilas, who told the commission it was clear that the electorate was not opposed to density, but believed it should be in keeping with the area.

He relayed concerns from constituents about the integrity of the planning process, questioning how one could have faith the WAPC process was more than a “rubber-stamping exercise” if the plan was approved in the face of significant opposition and its rejection by two councils.

But two people backed the plan at the three-hour meeting, stating there was too little housing diversity in the area and nothing appropriate for those looking to downsize.

The Ocean Village plan comprises 247 apartments across two towers of 10 and 22 storeys and includes a supermarket, liquor store, gym, medical centre, office, seven shops, two restaurants, a tavern, playground and a car park.

The development is earmarked for a 12,825 square metre block on Kilpa Court, which has been occupied by a shopping centre since the 1980s and which Blackburne acquired in 2022.

More than 1460 submissions were received during the public consultation period, with more than half declaring their opposition to the proposed development and 28 per cent voicing support.

A further 18 per cent of respondents indicated they would support the development with amendments.

The town held public consultation following receipt of the proposal, with the council notifying the developer that its prepared development outcome was for a mixed-use development of no more than six storeys.

During the meeting, a spokesperson for the town confirmed the site had been identified as one of seven precincts to fulfil the town’s infill obligations and accommodate 200 to 250 dwellings.

But the spokesperson conceded the town had not conducted an in-depth assessment of whether that could be facilitated within a six-storey complex or the impact that would have on tree retention.

Planning Solutions director Ben Doyle pointed out the town was due to fall well-short of its interim dwelling target of 3100 by 2026, and said the development was a byproduct of an infill strategy the community helped create.

“The inevitable, inescapable fact of focusing density into targeted nodes to preserve the low density suburbs is that those nodes will be a different scale,” Doyle said.

“This is the culmination of a series of decisions, actions and non-actions delivered by the local and state government to deliver density over the past 15 years.”

The company’s managing director Paul Blackburne himself fronted the meeting, telling the panel he understood the differing opinions among members of the community, but revealing 513 people — mostly existing residents — had lodged expressions of interest.

Blackburne intends to begin construction within 12 months of development approval, a process which is expected to take two-and-a-half years.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.