City increases contribution to Ocean Reef Marina project
The City of Joondalup will increase its financial contribution towards the construction of the new Ocean Reef Sea Sports Club (ORSSC) at Ocean Reef Marina to meet the increased costs of the project, which is a result of recent pressures experienced in the construction market.
To ensure the building is suitable for its intended use and befitting the site on which it will be built, the Council has chosen to take on the additional cost.
The preferred concept design of the building, presented to Joondalup Council in March 2022, remains unchanged.
The total capital costs of the new building, previously estimated at $8.3 million, is now capped at $9.6 million.
Joondalup Council has agreed to contribute a total of $4.81 million towards the overall cost of the new building, with the ORSSC to repay the City $1.75 million.
The State Government, through Development WA, will fund the bulk of the construction costs ($4.8 million).
ORSSC is one of the City’s largest clubs that has operated for almost five decades. It is made up of five sections: angling, sailing, diving, power boating and social and currently has about 1,550* members with over 90 per cent residing in the City.
*Note: Excluding associated family members.
The club, originally known as the Whitfords Sea Sports Club before changing its name in 2005, expects a membership base of up to 3,000 members within the next five to 10 years once the marina development has been constructed.
The building will feature multi-functional dining, event and meeting spaces to cater for the increasing membership demands of the club and to support further opportunities for sporting and recreational activities.
Support infrastructure such as car parking is being funded by Development WA (about $2.55 million) outside the $9.6 million.
The City will develop a commercial facility adjacent to the club building to provide opportunities for early activation for the general public, within the southern marina precinct. The extent of the commercial facility and activities that it may support will be subject to a future business case.
Mayor Jacob said the $1.3 million funding gap for the ORSSC building needed to be considered in the context of the overall project and the vision for a world-class marina within the City of Joondalup.
“The State Government is contributing $223 million for Ocean Reef Marina and the timely and effective construction of the new ORSSC building is crucial for the overall success of this transformational project,” he said.
“The land that the existing ORSSC building is located on is a key location for the development of the marina and the establishment of the future town centre.
“Development WA has already commenced an Expression of Interest process for the town centre, which will require a multi-million-dollar investment by the proponent to construct its dwellings and commercial facilities.
“The City looks forward to continuing to work alongside Development WA to bring this hugely-anticipated project to fruition in the coming years.”
Construction of ORSSC is expected to commence in late 2023/early 2024 and is likely to take about 18 months.