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It took several years, a high-profile council row and state government intervention, but the $25 million riverfront Tawarri Hot Springs development has been given the green light.
The luxury wellness retreat, spearheaded by Claremont Hotel proprietor and FJM Property principal Barry Jones, was unanimously approved by the state’s planning commission during a 90-minute meeting on Thursday.
The $25 million redevelopment of the Tawarri Hot Springs in Dalkeith has been approved.
The development, which comprises pools, saunas, a restaurant and café spanning 5500 square metres of the historic Dalkeith Hot Pool site, was touted as a world-class tourism drawcard which could attract as many as 140,000 visitors annually.
The approval marks the end of a lengthy battle by the developer to get the project over the line, which drew the ire of the City of Nedlands council and dozens of residents.
The redevelopment of the dilapidated Tawarri Reception Centre, which sits alongside the Perth Squadron Flying Yacht Club on the Swan River, was first proposed by the City of Nedlands in 2016.
The latest iteration of the development was formally unveiled and lodged with the state government’s expedited planning pathway, the State Development Assessment Unit, in early 2021, three years after the developer was deemed the preferred proponent.
But the city’s new-look council rejected a sub-lease request over the Class ‘A’ Reserve in March 2022, calling on the state planning body to refuse it over fears the area could be subject to flooding and its benefits would not outweigh the loss of public foreshore access.
The city was overruled by the state government less than a month later, with the land excised from the foreshore reserve because the project was deemed one of state significance.
The SDAU signed off on its approval, recommending the planning commission do the same.
Nedlands mayor Fiona Argyle lashed the plan during a public deputation on Thursday, branding it a “monstrosity of concrete” which she said robbed all West Australians of access to the foreshore and sustainable development.
Argyle rubbished predicted visitation figures, labelling them “pure fiction”, and urged the commission to deny approval on environmental grounds and not buy into the “greenwashing”, referencing its 6 Green Star rating.
“You cannot approve a development of this magnitude based on history, on old data,” she said.
“There needs to be more due diligence. I was horrified … horrified.”
The project had initially been slated for completion in late 2023, but the current works program indicates it could be another 18 months before construction begins.
During the meeting, Jones conceded the two-year substantial commencement deadline imposed by the planning body would be tight given the overheated construction market and the restrained labour pool, but did not push for an extension.
The facility is set to operate for just over two decades, with capacity for 135 patrons and supporting almost 100 direct and indirect jobs annually.
The development proposes using a bore to the Yarragadee aquifer to fill and heat the pools.
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