Discovery Parks - Coogee Beach Development
The G’day Group, parent company of Discovery Holiday Parks, plans to invest over $15m in upgrading its Coogee Beach property. Leased from Council, the park is tired in and dire need of investment. While it has the potential to become a great tourism asset for the region, and is prime beachfront land that the whole community should be able to enjoy, it has been decades since any significant upgrades have been made to the property.
A number of permanent residents reside in this property, and while most will be unaffected, there are a number who will need to relocate. These residents are tenants and as is standard in any tenant / landlord relationship, Discovery Parks has the ability to give notice to these residents and conclude these leases.
It is important to note, that these residents only lease land from Discovery Parks, not premises. They own the transportable premises they currently reside within, and their lease conditions stipulate that these structures must be transportable.
Transparency with our residents is important to us, and we will continue to communicate throughout the development process. We also hope that this $15m + private investment on public land will result in a tourism precinct that West Australians can be proud of. The investment will also open up this prime beachfront land to the wider community, and we hope many West Australian families will choose to enjoy it.
What’s happening at Discovery Parks- Coogee Beach?
The City of Cockburn has a vision to transform the Coogee Beach foreshore into a tourism precinct and open the beachfront to the public and it has agreed to extend the G’day Group’s lease of the Discovery Parks – Coogee Beach property.
This will enable the Group to proceed with its planned redevelopment, creating jobs and attracting visitors to the area, in line with the council’s Coogee Beach Masterplan.
The development will include a lovely resort pool, playground, tourist cabins and other infrastructure upgrades for West Australians and other tourists to enjoy.
What’s the timeframe?
It’s still not certain but the next step is to lodge a development application (DA) for approval which will take between 12-18 months.
We are currently exploring options for a staged approach to the development and details of this will be provided when the DA has been submitted.
Will permanent residents leasing land in the park have to move?
Some permanent residents will need to move from the beachfront sites they are currently situated on, however the development will be completed in stages. The soonest any current resident will need to move will be in 12-18 months time.
Those who won’t need to move will be offered a new 7+7-year lease.
Is the G’day Group required to relocate or compensate permanent residents affected by the development?
The G’DAY Group has voluntarily agreed to help residents relocating even though we are not legally required to do so.
We will be offering three alternatives to residents affected including:
- Identifying options for alternative sites and contributing to moving and site remediation costs of up to $20,000.
- Providing an option for those people whose home cannot be physically relocated to rent a vacant long-stay dwelling in our network (subject to availability) e.g. in Coogee Beach or Woodman Point for a comparable rent. The rent will be reduced by an amount equal to the cost of relocating the dwelling (capped at $20,000 less remediation and demolition costs).
- Providing an ex-gratia payment equivalent to the potential cost of relocating the dwelling, capped at $20,000 (less remediation and demolition costs).
How much notice will be provided to residents who are required to move?
We’ll provide 180 days’ formal notice before the stage of redevelopment is planned to begin.
Will the development destroy the value of the home?
All homes in caravan parks must be able to be relocated because the primary purpose of a caravan park is tourism – the lease is only for the land and as is the case with all leases, it may or may not be renewed. Your home’s value remains the same although it may need to be relocated.
Can residents sell their homes?
We’re exploring this and what our obligations might be to incoming residents.
Is the G’day Group going to talk to me about my situation?
Yes, we’ll be talking to you on a case-by-case basis.
If you have any urgent matters to discuss please email coogeeresidents@discoveryparks.com.au and a member of the team will get back to you as soon as possible.