After a few environmental worries, the proposed $100 million Perth surf park has finally been approved after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ruled that the likely environmental outcomes were not cause for further investigation. 

Concerns arose that the endangered black cockatoo habitats and Banksia Woodlands located near the site would suffer as a result of the development, however the EPA decided that the vegetation was already very degraded and would not pose a risk to the cockatoo population. 

Per the EPA, “The EPA considers that the likely environmental effects of the proposal are not so significant as to warrant formal assessment. The vegetation has been impacted by historical clearing and ongoing degrading processes leading to large proportion of weeds and limited canopy connectivity. The vegetation is of low to moderate quality foraging habitat for Black Cockatoos.”

The decision can still be appealed with the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation also assessing the native vegetation clearing application. 

The company behind the park, Aventuur, said it would offset the clearing by buying 18 hectares of Banksia Woodland on the Swan Coastal Plain and donate it to the state as a nature reserve. 

The park itself is set on 5.8 hectares of land between the Kwinana Freeway and the Fremantle Steel plant and will have a large open water surfing lagoon, bars, restaurants, accommodations, a function centre, an events space, a skate park, and a health and wellness centre. 

The company has promised that all of the park’s buildings will have a five-star green rating and will replant all the banksia trees they removed on site. 

Aventuur said in a statement, “In each aspect of our project, we aim to exceed the stringent requirements of the WA government to deliver a world-leading example of a sustainable, responsible surf park development.” 

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