The City of Stirling will decide at next week’s council meeting whether or not to construct a temporary carpark on vacant land near the Scarborough Beach foreshore.
A report for the city’s planning and development committee meeting on Tuesday recommends the council approve the start of design and planning requirements and lodge a development application for the carpark.
The vacant 2987sqm block on 273 West Coast Highway in Scarborough is owned in freehold by the city and is about 670m from the centre of the coastal precinct.
Preliminary costs for the new plan have been kept confidential by the city.
Discussions within the council to construct a temporary carpark at the site have been ongoing since July 2019, with the council resolving then to construct the carpark but it never developed further with costs calculated at $800,000.
“In early 2020, a planning consultant was appointed to assist the city with the lodgement of a development application for the temporary carpark,” a December 5 council report noted.
“This DA required plans and costings which were undertaken by the city’s engineering team in April 2021. An original plan for 62 car bays was proposed which included bitumen during the design stage.
“This design was costed at $803,169. No other alternatives were considered by the city, nor was the funding mechanisms to construct the carpark.
“The design and construction cost was not provided to council for consideration and development of the carpark stalled.”
A schedule of planning approval and construction within the report estimated an opening time of November should it be approved by the council.
As previously reported by PerthNow, the Scarborough Beach foreshore has become a parking nightmare for visitors especially around special events and hot weather.
A City of Stirling spokesperson told PerthNow in October that Scarborough Beach was Perth’s most popular beach and an iconic tourism destination for WA.
“Parking is in high demand over the summer period, particularly on weekends and during the major events and sporting championships the unique amenities attract,” the spokesperson said.
“The city will also continue to seek the inclusion of public parking within new developments in the area.”
Former Stirling councillor Felicity Farrelley also raised concerns then about parking and said the number of public parking bays was cut in half during the Scarborough Beach redevelopment from 1112 public bays to 586.