Ocean Reef Marina
Latest Information
Project Update
After months of research, negotiations and extensive meetings by City staff and external consultants, the Ocean Reef Marina Committee met on 5 December 2012 to consider several important issues.
At the meeting, the Committee endorsed a new strategy regarding environmental and planning approvals that could potentially result in the project timeline progressing quicker than originally planned.
The Committee endorsed an integrated strategy where the Ocean Reef Marina project would be assessed through a Metropolitan Region Scheme (MRS) amendment and associated environmental approval processes.
This strategy allows for concurrent consideration of the planning and environmental aspects through one assessment process and is a holistic approach to the project.
The Committee decision also means that the environmental and planning approvals process would be more transparent in the public arena. The initial tasks to be undertaken for the strategy include:
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Confirming the validity of previous technical advice and update as required. This information will inform the MRS amendment request, the project feasibility study and the local structure plan preparation
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Detailed discussions with the Department of Planning and the Office of the Environmental Protection Authority on the format, scope and content of the documentation required for a MRS amendment and corresponding environmental approval processes
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Pre-referral liaison with state and commonwealth agencies relating to the Marmion Marine Park, Bush Forever, Carnaby’s Cockatoo and Graceful Sun Moth
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Development of a Local Structure Plan to support the MRS amendment and potential City of Joondalup District Planning Scheme No 2 amendment.
At the meeting held 11 December 2012, Council endorsed the Committee’s decisions and the above tasks will be commenced immediately.
View the relevant Ocean Reef Marina Committee reports and decisions.
Memorandum of Understanding
The City and State Government have signed a joint Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding the exciting and visionary Ocean Reef Marina (ORM) development.
The Cabinet-endorsed MOU was signed by Joondalup Mayor Troy Pickard and City CEO Gary Hunt, at an official ceremony on Tuesday 14 February 2012.
The MOU is a formal agreement that acknowledges a strategic alliance and the shared commitment of the City and the State Government as joint landowners of the site in bringing the Ocean Reef Marina project to fruition.
By signing the document, which also sets out the roles of the City and the State Government and how they will work together to resolve ongoing issues, both parties are recognising that a collaborative approach is needed to develop the marina.
The MOU is a vital step in a long process as the City cannot deliver a project of this size and complexity on its own and liaison with State Government agencies is necessary to progress towards the approval of a Structure Plan for the ORM development.
The signing of the MOU is an important milestone for the ORM project as it is a vital and essential component as the development moves towards obtaining the necessary partnerships and approvals.
In support of the MOU, the State Government has approved the Department of Planning as the lead agency of the Ocean Reef Marina project and they have given in-principle support to the City's integrated environmental and planning approvals strategy.
View the Memorandum of Understanding.
Project Information
The City is undertaking the development of a Concept Plan and Structure Plan that details how the Ocean Reef Marina site could be developed and how it could look in the future.
The site has always had the potential to house a world-class facility and the State Government recognised this potential by providing a grant to allow the City to develop, as part of the process, a concept plan of its vision for the site.
Council endorsed the project philosophy and key parameters for the Ocean Reef Marina site which will guide the development process. The project philosophy and key parameters include:
Vision for the Development:
- Environmental Strategy
- Governance and Fiscal Responsibility
- Liaison Protocol and
- Commerciality.
View the Project Philosophy and Key Parameters.
The Ocean Reef Marina development has the potential to provide the City’s residents with a world class recreational, residential, boating and tourism marina development that encapsulates high levels of environmental sustainability, community amenity and delivers economic growth and social benefit.
Preliminary studies and research in the areas of environmental impact and sustainability, structure planning, coastal engineering and hydrology and financial and commercial viability have been completed and indicate that the site does have the potential for a development of this nature.
The City has commenced the preparation of the Business Case and Structure Plan and the initial task, the financial feasibility of the concept plan, was undertaken (with the financial support of the Recreational Boating Facilities Scheme).
The analysis showed that the project would generate a significant deficit over the course of the development, and this was deemed by the City to not only be unviable, but also an inappropriate risk. However, minor design changes to the concept plan have provided a dramatic improvement to the financial outcome of the development.
The amendments to the concept plan retain both the design philosophy and the overarching philosophy and parameters supported by Council and the community. With 47 of the 51 components in the original concept plan remaining, the amended concept plan still carries the same footprint, with the size and total development area of the marina still around 91ha.
The amended concept plan (Concept Plan 7.2) still delivers an excellent balance of public, residential and commercial amenities with some alterations to optimise land use and yields. A realignment of the northern marina section reduces the need for dredging in this area and the amphitheatre site now provides a more user-friendly interface with the water which improves views through the marina.
Some of the planned commercial, residential and mixed-use buildings have been reduced in size and density to optimise land use and yields and there is an increase in the portion of leasehold to freehold commercial/retail lots. The residential area now includes single lots with a reduction in the number of apartment-style units. These changes acknowledge the commercial reality of a development of this magnitude whilst maintaining extensive public equity and access within the marina.
Some of the amenities, such as the ocean pool, artificial reef and super yacht berths require further investigation and assessment and this will be undertaken in due course.
Premier Colin Barnett visited Joondalup on Thursday 3 March 2011 for the opening of the new Joondalup Health Campus Emergency Department, and City took the opportunity to meet with him to discuss the Ocean Reef Marina Project.
Mayor Pickard and the CEO gave the Premier, Planning Minister John Day and Ocean Reef MLA Albert Jacob an overview of the project and a briefing on the progress to date including the amended concept plan and the financial feasibility study. The Mayor and CEO also accompanied the Premier and Mr Jacob to the Ocean Reef Marina for a quick site visit.
Following Council's endorsement of the Environmental and Planning Approval Strategy in October 2011, the City entered into extensive liaison and negotiation with the Office of the Environmental Protection Authority, the Department of Environment and Conservation and the Department of Planning on the most appropriate process for obtaining the necessary approvals for the development.
The City will continue to engage with these and other Government agencies (State and Federal) with respect to issues such as Bush Forever, Marmion Marine Park and other relevant environmental and planning issues.
It should be noted that the work undertaken thus far forms part of the development of a Structure Plan and Business Case for the Ocean Reef Marina and is relevant and transferable to all approvals processes.
For further information please contact the City on 9400 4349 or via email.
Related Information:
Last updated 12 December 2012
