Cockburn Coast is located between South Beach and Port Coogee, extending east to Cockburn Road. It is adjacent to the coast, approximately 4.5km south of Fremantle and 18km from the Perth central business district.

Cockburn Coast occupies a 333ha parcel of land, of which 98ha will be redeveloped. The majority of the project area is regional and foreshore reserve.

The Cockburn Coast area has historically accommodated a range of industrial businesses, which included the former South Fremantle Power Station and Western Power Switchyard terminal. The Power Station closed in 1985 and much of the land is currently under-used.

Over the next 10 to 20 years Cockburn Coast will be transformed from an under-used former industrial area into a thriving residential and commercial community with up to 12,000 residents. Cockburn Coast will comprise three precincts – Robb Jetty (now called Shoreline), The Power Station and The Hilltop.

DevelopmentWA is the State Government’s land development agency and will be managing the Cockburn Coast development project. DevelopmentWA has been working closely with the City of Cockburn, the Western Australian Planning Commission, the Public Transport Authority and existing landowners and businesses to progress the development.

The City of Cockburn has been intimately involved in the project since its inception including the development of a number of Local Structure Plans, Design Guidelines and zoning amendments. The city is currently considering the Power Station Master Plan.

The entire Cockburn Coast area expected to be fully developed in 10 to 20 years. Development began on the first precinct in July 2015.

Cockburn Coast will feature an extensive range of community facilities and services, many of which will improve connectivity to the foreshore and provide an appealing destination for residents and tourists. These include:

• A beach piazza linked to the main street at Shoreline
• Two new pedestrian bridges linking the project to the foreshore
• Improved foreshore facilities, such as boardwalks, kiosks, public toilets and a variety of uses associated with the foreshore area
• Opportunities for extensive community uses within The Power Station precinct
• Landscaped parklands and playing fields

The redevelopment plans allow for 125,000sqm of commercial and retail floor space.

The Power Station precinct is proposed to be the employment hub of Cockburn Coast and will become an important retail and commercial centre which also offers recreational attractions for visitors. It will complement the local retail and smaller scale commercial opportunities to be provided within the main street of the Robb Jetty precinct.

Yes, there will be opportunities to dine and entertain within Robb Jetty and The Power Station precincts. Dining and entertainment precincts will front the foreshore and take full advantage of the coastal views, offering a unique destination for Western Australians and visitors.

Cockburn Coast will offer a diverse range of housing options, including apartments of various sizes, townhouses and single residential lots to cater for first home buyers, singles, professionals, downsizers and families.

DevelopmentWA is committed to affordable housing on all of its projects and Cockburn Coast will be a place with housing options for people on a range of incomes.

An extensive public consultation process has informed the development with consultation commencing in 2005 when the ‘Dialogue with Cockburn Coast’ was initiated to inform the preparation of the Cockburn Coast District Structure Plan. Since then numerous documents have been advertised for public comment including the Cockburn Coast Masterplan (2011) and the Local Structure Plans for Robb Jetty and The Hilltop precincts (2013).  The Power Station Masterplan was advertised for public comment in 2014 and will be the first of several public consultation periods for this precinct.  

Yes. Bus priority transport will link Cockburn Coast with the Fremantle Train Station.

The entire development will also be connected through extensive boardwalks, and bicycle and pedestrian pathways making it a pedestrian-friendly community. Consideration in the future may be given to a light rail connection to Fremantle.

A full traffic management plan will be in place throughout the development to ensure any disruptions to the local community and businesses are kept to a minimum.

The former South Fremantle Power Station is owned by Synergy. Western Power owns the land to the north of the building which contains the Switchyard Terminal.  DevelopmentWA is working with these agencies and the City of Cockburn and Heritage Council WA to produce a redevelopment plan for the building and its immediate surrounds.

The area will be transformed into a tourist, community, commercial, retail and entertainment centre. The community has waited a long time for this prime coastal site to be redeveloped and with restaurants, cafes, bars and retail outlets planned for the site it will become a jewel in the crown of the Cockburn Coast project. 
DevelopmentWA in consultation with key stakeholders, has prepared a Masterplan to guide the rejuvenation of the South Fremantle Power Station.

The Masterplan supports a vision for the future adaption of the South Fremantle Power Station building, which may include:

• Approximately 5,500sqm of retail and commercial floor space, distributed across the ground, first and second floors
• Approximately, 2,000sqm of retail and commercial floor space within the Power Station Main Street, providing retail at the ground floor and commercial on the first floor
• There will be restaurant / kiosk uses within the foreshore area and to the north of the Precinct
• Up to 150 apartments are proposed above the Power Station building providing high quality views across the Indian Ocean to Rottnest and Garden Island
• Areas of the building will be set aside for public purposes to enable community events and exhibitions to take place from time to time

Extensive areas of local public open space will be distributed across the precinct, providing green spaces in close proximity to residential development.

Approximately 54,000sqm of existing foreshore reserve will be guided by a foreshore management plan that will balance the need to preserve the natural habitat while accommodating a promenade and improvements to the existing cooling pond area.

Improved access to public transport, via two proposed rapid bus transit stations within easy walking distance.

There is expected to be about 840 homes within The Power Station precinct, with up to 150 dwellings within the Power Station building. The Power Station precinct will incorporate a mix of contemporary buildings, shared streets, a public piazza and a variety of residences including some apartment development. Residential dwellings will be low, medium and high density with buildings between two and nine storeys. The majority of the project area will be between three and five storeys in height. Cockburn Coast will revitalise an under-used parcel of land and create new homes in line with the State Government’s Directions 2031 and Beyond strategy to address urban sprawl and WA’s rapid population growth.

The proposed Power Station Master Plan provides for extensive areas of local and regional open space, approximately 31,000m2 of local public open space and approximately 54,000 m2 of foreshore reserve, distributed throughout the Precinct.

The large internal space of the Power Station building provides an opportunity for further public areas on the ground and first floor, enabling community based events and exhibition areas.

Heritage factors will be a key consideration throughout the project and has involved direct consultation with the Heritage Council WA. The former Power Station is on the interim heritage register and is an excellent example of 1930s-1950s cathedral-style power stations built in Australia and the United Kingdom. The Cockburn Coast development is an opportunity to revitalise the iconic building.  Any redevelopment of the power station will be subject to Heritage Council of WA approval and will be sympathetic to its architectural design.

As with all DevelopmentWA's projects, rigorous evaluation of the site will be made by environmental experts. Environmental approvals will be sought for all relevant stages of the redevelopment process to ensure the project meets stringent Federal and State Government environmental requirements.

At this point in time a marina is not being progressed for the Power Station Master Plan area. The opportunity for a marina could be further investigated in the future. To achieve a marina at the site will require an extensive stakeholder, landowner and community consultation process as well as a more extensive planning and environmental approvals process.

The Power Station Precinct area is approximately 32 hectares, located within the broader Cockburn Coast redevelopment project. The masterplan area represents a smaller portion of this precinct and includes the land west of the freight rail line.

Full subdivision of the Power Station Masterplan area will is expected to 8 to10 years from the date of commencement (dependent on market factors).

The Power Station Masterplan provides a vision for the area. It identifies the potential for the Power Station building to be the catalyst for the creation of a vibrant activity centre within the Cockburn Coast redevelopment project area.

The Power Station Masterplan will guide the preparation of a Power Station Local Structure Plan, which is a planning document that guides subdivision and development. The vision will be refined over time to meet regulatory and market needs.   

The public will be provided with many opportunities to comment during formal advertising processes of the following:

• Metropolitan Region Scheme amendment(s)
• Local Town Planning Scheme amendment
• Power Station Local Structure Plan
• Power Station Design Guidelines

The South Fremantle Switchyard Terminal represents significant infrastructure for the region and has been in operation for a number of years. It is anticipated as part of the overall redevelopment that the switchyard terminal will be relocated to enable the Power Station precinct vision to be achieved.

Options have been explored to relocate the switchyard terminal within the Hilltop precinct using Gas Insulated technology.  This allows for much of the facility to be housed within a building as opposed to open air as it is currently. Further investigations will be pursued as part of the Power Station planning process.

The existing Freight Rail Line represents significant State Infrastructure that will be retained to support the movement of freight to and from the Fremantle Port.

As with all new developments the level of traffic and movement will increase.  The Power Station Masterplan has been carefully developed to ensure that there are multiple entry and exits from the Precinct the most critical being the proposal for a vehicle bridge linking the Power Station redevelopment to Cockburn Road. This link will carry the majority of the anticipated traffic with more local traffic using Robb Road, north and south.

The Masterplan also makes provision for visitor parking to be located east of the freight rail line to reduce the number of visitor traffic directly to the Power Station building and its surroundings.

Pedestrians will gain access to the Power Station precinct through two pedestrian bridges located to the north and south of the building that go over the freight rail line.  The vehicle bridge linking Cockburn Road to the Power Station building also allows for pedestrians to access the precinct.

A very strong east-west pedestrian link is proposed in front of the Power Station building linking Port Coogee, the Power Station building and the foreshore to the north of the Power Station through to the South Beach Redevelopment.   

The coast will be revitalised into a destination for all Western Australians and tourists. Through the addition of extensive boardwalks and a beach piazza the foreshore will become a great place for recreation and relaxation for the whole community.

It is anticipated that during key phases of the development process part of the beach will be closed temporarily to allow foreshore improvements such as boardwalks, plazas and other amenities to be developed.  

It will still be possible to exercise dogs and horses on the sandy beaches. 

It is expected up to 3,000 jobs will be generated through the Cockburn Coast development. These will be in the commercial and retail sectors emerging as a result of the development. A significantly higher number of people will be employed during the construction phases.   

Paul Gazzone, DevelopmentWA Senior Development Manager Tel: (08) 9482 7801.

Carol Catherwood, City of Cockburn Coordinator Strategic Planning Tel: (08) 9411 3444.