• The northern section of Port Coogee’s marina languishes, but Australand wants more density on a new precinct.
AUSTRALAND has made another bid to increase heights and density in the Port Coogee development.
Cockburn council recently voted to put amendments to stage 5 of the development out for public comment, including an extra 3.7 metres on top of the development’s “Island” precinct.
Australand says it wants smaller dwellings to reflect demand for different types of housing, which will increase the population density of the complex.
“Changing marketing conditions, purchaser needs and expectations, diversity of choice in housing and consideration of Landcorp’s Cockburn Coast’s project planning to the north have all influenced the minor changes in the Structure Plan,” says Australand general manager Toni Perrin.
“This current revision focuses on the remaining stages within the northern section of the estate including the Stage 5 island development, all of which have been undeveloped for many years given the longer development timeframes of a project of this scale,”
When Australand last successfully applied to increase heights along the development’s waterfront, it sparked howls of protest from landowners who’d forked out millions to buy lots they believed would give them uninterrupted ocean views.
Mr Perrin wouldn’t comment on the effect on property prices for those whose views would now be obscured.
Cockburn councillor Carol Reeve-Fowkes told the Herald she couldn’t take views into consideration when making the decision to approve the amendments for advertising.
Australand is also seeking greater density for the area fronting Medina Parade between Scout Turn and Caledonia Loop, aiming to go from a mix of R30 and R50 zoning to blanket R80, although it has stated that heights will stay the same.
The council had been wanting the developer to produce 3D models to give an idea of the impact of the changes, but decided that would cost too much for Australand and will be satisfied with cross-section diagrams instead.
Mr Perrin wouldn’t comment on the poor performance of the northern section of the marina, where only a handful of houses have been built, despite having been in one of the first releases on the market.
by MARTA PASCUAL JUANOLA
