‘More Sensitive’ Plans for WA Beach Resort Filed

A Western Australia developer rejected the previous structure plan for the site of his Smiths Beach hotel project on the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge, claiming it “fights with nature”. 

Instead, developer Adrian Fini has, since purchasing the site in 2014, undertaken several rounds of consultation with community groups, the Wardandi Traditional Owners of the Southwest Boodjarra and others on what to include in the new plans. 

Fini is a director of development group Hesperia and has been involved in the property and construction industries in Western Australia for more than 35 years.

The plans now include reduced development density, habitats for biodiversity, dispersed buildings and more open space. The plans are now open for public comment as part of the planning process. 

Fini will donate 41 per cent of the site to the national park and set aside another 10 per cent for open space. 

“When we purchased the site at Smiths Beach in 2014, I wanted to create something far better than the plan that had already been approved,” Fini said in the introduction to the plans. 

“The approved Structure Plan we inherited essentially fights with nature—if developed, there will be a suburban-style subdivision with retaining walls and the permanent loss of large areas of vegetation.

“The approved plan simply squashes as much development as possible into an area arbitrarily defined by an existing firebreak, resulting in a higher density than we believe is appropriate for this site.

“To produce a much result, we have set aside the approved plan and started again.”

▲ After consultation with the Wardandi Traditional Owners of the Southwest Boodjarra, the plans included dispersed buildings that blended into the landscape.

The developer filed the plans for the resort project through the State Development Assessment Unit, which was set up to help assess projects that would help address the impacts of Covid-19 by, for example, creating jobs. 

The 40.5ha site at Lot 4131 Smiths Beach Road near the City of Busselton in the state’s south-west is next to the existing Smiths Beach Resort, the Canal Rocks Beachside Apartments and Smiths Beach.

The project cost has been estimted at $280 million and involves designs from several architect firms. 

It comprises a 65-room hotel with a pool, spa, dining room and gym; 61 holiday houses; 36-platform campground and community facilities.

The facilities include a surf lifesaving club, tourist centre, retail areas, food and beverage venues, liquor store, bushfire refuge and wellness hub. The retail areas have a total net leaseable area of 1262 square metres.

Kerry Hill Architects designed the hotel and some of the holiday homes while Space Agency Architects designed the hub, campground and other holiday homes. Architects McGregor Coxall were consulted about the overall masterplan for the site.

▲ The plans include a Cape to Cape Welcome Centre to take advantage of the 20,000 walkers who hike the Cape Leeuwin to Cape Naturaliste trail each year.

The Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge is a world-famous ecological area and is home to the Cape Leeuwin to Cape Naturaliste walking trail that follows the coast. 

The trail attracts around 20,000 hikers a year and was part of the motivation for a hotel on the site.

Western Australia’s tourism industry took in $11 billion in revenue in 2019. The City of Busselton had around 865,000 tourists in 2019 with an average total tourist spend a year of $501 million.

Development along certain parts of Western Australia's coastline has proven controversial controversial with Luke Saraceni's recent plans for the Westin Margaret River Resort and Gnarabup Village attracting public scrutiny and comment. 

The Environmental Protection Authority is currently assessing Saraceni's application.