Chinese developer 3 Oceans Property has won approval for its twin-tower development that will tower 43-storeys above Perth’s Scarborough Beach.
The development will feature two mixed-use residential and hotel buildings, designed by Hillam Architects, offering 345 apartments and 159 hotel rooms on the former Contacio bar site on Scarborough Beach Road.
The approval comes after six months of ongoing mediation process with the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority, with the MRA initially rejecting the $450 million twin-tower project in December 2017 citing “significant overdevelopment of the site”.
Managing director Dyno Zhang said the group had been working on its towers proposal, expected to create 2200 jobs during the construction process and an additional 700 permanent positions once completed, since acquiring the site in 2014.
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The proposal, which will more than double the height of the current tallest tower in Scarborough, didn’t come without community opposition.
Local community group "Sunsets Not Skyscrapers" describe the approval as “a planning disaster for our beautiful coastline”.
“This development was given every possible concession to completely change the future of our coastline – we will live with this and the precedent it sets, forever,” the group said on its Facebook page.
For its part 3 Oceans said it had spent more time with the community via a mediation process.
"We have now included an even greater focus on tourism benefits with dedicated space allocated to a WA Coastal Experience Centre and a WA Market Hall showcasing the best of Western Australian produce,” the developer said last month.
The revised proposal reduces site coverage to 72 per cent, down from 80 per cent together with overall car parking reduced from 834 to 750 bays.
The newly-approved project includes 100 public parking bays, an observation deck with art gallery and restaurant, retail and food outlets.
Urban Development Institute of WA chief executive Allison Hailes welcomes the project as a boost to the local economy.
“In the current economic climate this is good news for the people of WA,” Hailes said.
