Road Reserve at North Scarborough finally closed – forever
Beach Not Bitumen’s campaign to have the Esplanade road reserve closed and amalgamated into the adjoining Class A Reserve 46248 has succeeded with Landgate issuing a new Certificate of Title on 8 March 2019 confirming the new boundaries . This is the culmination of over twenty years of campaigning by local conservation groups including the Friends of Trigg Bushland, the Friends of Trigg Beach, Beach Not Bitumen and the Urban Bushland Council. The Class A Reserve is called the South Trigg Beach Reserve, is 13.4ha of remnant Quindalup dunes between Scarborough and Trigg Beaches and is an extension of the Trigg Bushland Reserve displaying the typical successional pattern of coastal vegetation types across the terrain from the coast to the tuart and marri woodlands to the east.
Importantly, for the coastal environment and for the preservation of the integrity of the coastal dune system north and south of Scarborough Beach, this Class A protection and road closure has prevented a major road and car park being constructed north of Scarborough Beach as proposed by the MRA. This was the focus of the campaign by Beach Not Bitumen.
What next for Beach Not Bitumen?
The focus of our campaign now moves to gaining permanent protection for the coastal dunes south of Scarborough Beach and to ensure a road is never built through these environmentally important remnant Quindalup dunes.
New Labor Government scraps the MRA road plans
The newly elected Minister for Planning Rita Saffioti announced on Friday 5 May 2017 that the MRA’s planned Esplanade road extensions north and south of Scarborough Beach would not go ahead.
This was fantastic news for all Beach Not Bitumen supporters and the people of Scarborough and all of WA. The coastal dunes north and south of Scarborough Beach will be protected from these unnecessary, expensive and environmentally damaging roads.
Our campaign was hard fought and took a lot of energy and commitment from our large band of Supporters and hands on workers, for this we thank you all and now the next task is to have the coastal dunes classification upgraded to ensure permanent and long term protection.
What is the MRA planning?
The MRA’s Scarborough Master Plan includes a proposal to extend The Esplanade north and south, through unique and protected sand dunes, to connect with West Coast Highway at both ends. The roads are likely to include two lanes of traffic (minimum of 7.4m wide), one or two lanes for parallel parking, and shared bike and walking paths, with retaining walls and embankments, in addition to the impact area of construction.
The Problem
The proposed road extensions are costly, damaging, unnecessary, and counter-productive. They will destroy rather than develop what’s great about the Scarborough beachfront.
• Building more roads attracts more traffic, while there will be less parking
• High conservation value sand dune systems, classified as ‘Bush Forever’ reserves that are unique in Stirling, will be destroyed to build the roads
• The proposed roads directly contravene State Planning Bushland Policy 2.8
Coastal infrastructure is being damaged by rising sea levels. Other Councils have found a 200m wide strip is at risk of erosion along the majority of the coastline. The proposed roads lie well within that.
• 93% of submissions responding to the MRA’s draft Master Plan, on the proposed roads, were against them.
• The roads are out of step with property development & urban planning trends, as well as the state government transport plan, which aims to increase active and public transport
• They are an unnecessary & wasteful use of at least $18m. City of Stirling rate-payers will be left with the tab as rising sea levels require expensive retention works.
The Solution
We need a plan for 2050, not 1950.
• Rule out the road extensions – keep the beachfront for people and the coast we love
• Design a plan that reduces traffic, rather than increases it, to and at the beachfront, making sense of the planned decrease in parking
• Improve traffic flow and parking with more efficient design, signage, signalling, and sustainable transport options
• Create a world class active and public transport system that takes cars off the road and creates a peoplefriendly beachfront
• Complement this, if required, with additional parking on the east side of West Coast Highway (as suggested by the MRA’s transport consultant)
• Maintain unique conservation areas and coastal buffers for a future of rising sea levels
• Integrate all this with a vibrant central area with the best of inner-city living, all
within walking distance of a spectacular coastline, for a 21st century development for those who seek to live or visit here.
Make this once in a generation redevelopment count. Develop the beachfront for people, not traffic. Stop the roads through Scarborough’s sand dunes.
Beach Not Bitumen 