Discovery Parks lease at Coogee Beach Holiday Park

Overview 

The City of Cockburn signed a 21-year lease with Discovery Parks (DP) for Coogee Beach Holiday Park (CBHP) on 21 April 2022 with an option to renew for another 21 years. 
 
DP will invest a projected $17m into the Park with the majority of the upgrades to be completed over the first seven years, and the remainder completed by year 13 of the lease. The City will use the income received from the lease of the caravan park on upgrades to reserves in the area.  

The first part of the upgrade process requires Discovery Parks to submit their plans for Development Assessment (DA) approval with the City of Cockburn. This process may take up to 12 months, with residents having the opportunity to provide feedback on the DA during this process. 

 If and when the DA is approved, Discovery Parks will be able to update residents on the anticipated timing of the redevelopment, particularly relating to any residents who will be affected by the upgrades. Discovery Parks will also be in a position to discuss financial assistance to impacted residents.

Assistance for residents impacted by the re-development 

 
The City acknowledges the high level of community concern around the impacts of the new lease on a number of park residents. 

 While the City has no legal right to interfere with tenancy agreements between DP and its tenants, the City did work hard to negotiate the best possible outcome for the 40 affected long-term tenants. 

 The principles of the tenants’ assistance package within the lease include the requirement for DP to assist with relocation costs and finding suitable vacant long-stay sites within its network, including Coogee Beach and Woodman Point, if the dwellings are reasonably capable of relocation. 
 
Relocation costs includes service reconnection and site remediation and would be up to $20,000. 
 
If a dwelling is physically unable to be relocated, DP will offer to rehouse tenants within its network, including Coogee Beach and Woodman Point, for a comparable rent. This rent will be reduced by an amount equal to the cost of relocating the dwelling, capped at $20,000 (less remediation and demolition costs). 
 
Residents who decline or are unable to be accept these offers would be offered an ex-gratia payment by DP equivalent to the potential cost of relocating their dwelling, capped at $20,000 (less remediation and demolition costs). 
 
Residents in the redevelopment area will be given 180 days’ notice prior to when the stage of redevelopment that affects them is planned to begin. 
 
DP will also grant security of tenure to residents whose dwellings are not affected, by offering a seven  + seven year tenancy arrangement. 
 
The redevelopment work timeframe was extended to provide existing residents with time to make arrangements with DP to relocate their dwellings by staging the works over seven years, with final completion within 13 years. 

Coogee Beach Caravan Park expansion 

The City will  approach Main Roads WA, the Minister for Planning, Lands and Heritage and the local MLA to pursue the vesting of a portion of the former railway reserve to the west of Cockburn Road, Coogee Beach in the City for 42 years. 
 
This purpose of this land would be recreation, caravan park and camping ground and the City has recently secured conditional ‘in principle’ consent from Main Roads WA. 
 
All funds the City receives from DP will be quarantined in a reserve for the specific purpose of maintaining and upgrading the surrounding foreshore and reserves as detailed in the Management Order. 
 
Just over $5m of this will be received in the first four years and will be quarantined for work required under the Coogee Beach Foreshore Management Plan and in accordance with the Land Management Order, to ensure ratepayers will not pay for this costly coastal work. 
 
The upgraded caravan park will help the City develop the Coogee coastal strip for a range of tourism and community uses including revitalised facilities at Coogee Beach café, the surf club, dive trail, Port Coogee marina and Manning Park. 
 
The proposal is likely to require upgrades for Cockburn Road to enable better access to Coogee Beach and the holiday park.   
 
The redevelopment work timeframe will be extended to provide existing residents with time to make arrangements with DP to relocate their dwellings by staging the works over seven years, with final completion within 13 years. 

More Information and Contact

Please direct any queries via email at [email protected]