Mangles Bay Marina scrapped by Minister

The Mangles Bay Marina proposal has been axed by Planning Minister Rita Saffioti, who has taken on board advice from the WA Planning Commission not to rezone the required land for the project.

Proponents Landcorp and Cedar Woods planned to build a marina in Rockingham that would incorporate retail space and accommodation options, in what was being perceived as a potential tourism drawcard for the area.

However, the proposal has had vocal opponents for many years, who have cited environmental concerns as a reason the marina should not go ahead.

After a public hearings period last year, the WAPC delivered its judgement to Ms Saffioti in October over whether the required land on Point Peron Road should be rezoned to urban, which would allow the project to move to the next step.

However, Ms Saffioti said today that she was mindful of the scale of the proposed marina development but found that, as Minister, she did not have the ability to amend the advertised proposal to an extent that might be sought.

"The Mangles Bay Marina proposal has attracted significant interest in the local community and beyond,” she said.

"While this State Government is keen to support new tourism projects across WA and will continue work to develop those, this proposal could not be supported given the Commission's concerns.

"The State Government looks forward to working on alternative projects to boost jobs, and create new places for people to live and visit."

Ms Saffioti said the amendment would be withdrawn and that the State Government would now need to ascertain the commercial and financial implications of the decision.

The Telegraph broke the news last week that the Port Rockingham Marina, proposed by Rockingham businessman Paul Ogilvie, had been given the appropriate thumbs up to proceed to the next stage.