THE Orion Café at Yanchep Lagoon may be renovated, allowing it to open for longer hours, with City of Wanneroo councillors due to decide on the proposed project on Tuesday, February 15.
According to an officer’s report presented to a briefing session yesterday the city is proposing to spend an estimated $550,000 to $750,000 (plus GST) upgrading the premises with the current lessee, Orion Café, to contribute $30,000.
If the project is approved it includes creating a new double-door entry to the dining room, weatherproof access to new toilets, a new doorway and servery (to the south elevation), extension of the existing cook top area and removing some internal non-load bearing walls.
External improvements would include a new deck area extending around to the new main area, café blinds to the deck area and an accessible compliant continuous path including a ramp and handrails from the pedestrian crossing on Brazier Rd to the café entrance.
The report said the lessee first occupied the premises in early 2017 after an initial short-term lease starting in late 2016 and granted to the lessee’s director Bernardo Alalid in his capacity as then trustee of the Alalid Family Trust.
For an initial term of one year and four option periods (each of one year) the prior lease was approved by the council in April 2017.
Officers are recommending the proposed new lease of the premises to the lessee noting that:
- The lessee has performed well as a tenant of the city, both in terms of performance of its lease obligations and in improving the popularity of the site. An extended lease term would recognise this performance and provide comfort to the lessee to invest in growing the business;
- The proposed renovations will expand the functionality of the premises, which the lessee has advised will increase the hours of use and anticipated employment at the site;
- The renovations will also extend the lifespan of the premises, while not compromising the scope for the city to redevelop the site in the long term in accordance with the aspirations of the Yanchep lagoon master plan (YLMP) project.
Under the Land Administration Act 1997 (WA) if the council resolves to approve the proposed lease in-principle, it will have to publish a local notice of the proposed disposal inviting public submissions.
“Should any submissions be received, administration recommends that no further report is presented to council and that the CEO be authorised to consider and reject any submissions, negotiate lease terms and effect any documentation relating to it,’’ the officer’s report said.’’
