Taj Burrow, Western Australian Surfers in Uproar Over Proposed Beach Development
The developers behind the Smiths Beach Project are eyeing the plateau above Smiths Beach as the site for a 65-room hotel, 61 holiday homes, a campground, a welcome center and a new surf lifesaving club. Developers said that the total area will cover 40 hectares (90 acres), nearly of which will be reserved for conservation or public space.
This area has long been the apple in the eye of coastal developers. According to the Smiths Beach Action Group, which opposes the project, this proposal is 36% larger than what was previously approved by previous planning laws.
'We are not against development,' reads a statement from the group. 'However any future development must be sustainable and should at a minimum adhere to the long-standing planning laws of the site. We will support a proposal that reflects the current planning laws, current approvals, and environmental conditions that are long established for this unique and pristine area.'
The action group has listed a host of concerns about the current plan, including the fact that commercial and residential sewage will be disposed of on-site instead of the main sewer lines in Dunsborough. Another issue highlighted by surfers is the new beach access ramp that will have a 10-meter wide rock wall facing the ocean. David Mitchell, a spokesman for the Smiths Beach Action Group, told ABC News Australia the 'rock wall would effectively act as a seawall, allowing the developer to inch closer to the shoreline.'
Additionally, surfers worry this seawall/access ramp could erode the very beach it's meant to grant access to. On top of that, there are concerns it would also sand flow and forever change the wave out front.
'To me, it seems quite arrogant to propose such a thing,' Taj said in a video online. 'The pure reason for a seawall is for these developers to build closer to the beach with more accommodations. So obviously that just equals dollars. There's no thought into what the seawall can do to our coast, which is obviously going to have a huge environmental impact. I don't think these developers have a clue or care what effect it would have on this beach. The sand and the swell is so dependent on exactly how the coast is laid out at the moment. If you try to disrupt that sand flow or the swells, it's going to potentially and probably ruin one of our best surfing beaches down here. That's the reason everyone comes here, to enjoy this sand along with the surf.'
Western Australia's Environmental Protection Authority is reviewing the proposal and taking public submissions until February 10. The EPA will then make a recommendation to the state's environment minister. However, government officials are already getting involved. Both WA Green and Liberal parties have opposed the development in its current form. WA Liberal leader Libby Mettam said the current proposal was outside of the approved development area, as established in 2011, according to ABC News Australia. On February 3, Mettem referred the project to Australia's Corruption and Crime Commission, asking the board to investigate the development plan and its approval process. She reportedly told ABC Southwest Radio, 'A range of concerns have been raised in relation to this (Smiths Beach,) and that is why I have written to the CCC in relation to this matter so that those concerns can be given proper considerations.'
You can find the official project page here and learn about the issues here.
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