Perth’s Aventuur surf park secures development approval

Western Australia is one step closer to hosting the largest surf park in the Southern Hemisphere, with Aventuur receiving development approval for the Perth Surf Park.

Granted yesterday by the Metro Outer Joint Development Assessment Panel (JDAP), the approval will see the Cockburn Gateway precinct transformed into a major tourism, sporting and entertainment hub.

Located on Prinsep Road, Jandakot (adjacent to the Kwinana Freeway and the Cockburn Central Train Station), the $100 million development aims create a world-class, sustainable surf park in Perth welcoming over a million visitors each year.

The heart of the park will be a 56 module Wavegarden ‘Cove’ surfing lagoon, offering perfect waves for all abilities in a safe, controlled environment. The innovative precinct will also feature a beach club, quality bars and restaurants, high-performance surfing academy, surf hire store, wellness and recovery centre, fitness studio, co-working lounge, functions spaces and community amenities including a skate park, pump track and nature-scaped gardens.

The surf park is also expected to host regular events, including surfing competitions, cultural and music festivals, and charity fundraisers.

Aventuur Chairman and Chief Development Officer Andrew Ross said he was delighted to reach this important milestone, and is looking forward to commencing construction later in 2023.

Ross advised “this is an incredibly exciting day for Western Australians, and for the Aventuur team. We’ve been working closely with the WA Government and the City of Cockburn to design an authentic, inclusive and sustainable surf park, and I couldn’t be more stoked that we’re one step closer to delivering a new community asset for Perth.”

The park’s buildings will be 5 Star Green Star rated, making Perth the first surf park in the world to achieve the classification. The Perth Surf Park’s design incorporates a range of other market-leading sustainability initiatives, to ensure the project delivers net positive environmental outcomes.

Ross added “we plan on utilising ‘zero embedded carbon’ concrete during construction, sourcing 100% of the park’s power requirements from renewable sources, generating and storing our own solar power, harvesting rainwater from the building roofs, composting organic waste on site, eliminating single use plastics, and procuring local materials and products wherever possible.

“As a team of passionate surfers, we believe it’s our responsibility to have a positive impact on the planet, in Jandakot where our park is located, and in our local Cockburn and Perth communities. We’ve received so much support from local surfers, families and residents on our journey to deliver this project, and we’re committed to creating the best surf park in the world that is by the west, for the west”.

The project’s development approval follows a recent decision by the Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) that the Perth Surf Park will not have a significant impact on the environment, and therefore did not require assessment by the EPA.

Subject to further regulatory approvals being received, construction is expected to commence in late 2023, with the Perth Surf Park opening to the public in late 2025.

The Perth Surf Park is expected to create over 260 jobs during construction, and contribute more than $250 million to the Western Australian economy during its operating life.

Images: Concept for the Perth Surf Park (top) and the DA news is welcomed by Andrew Ross and his family (middle) and the local surfing community (below).