Yanchep Lagoon boardwalk proposal on council agenda

THIS month City of Wanneroo councillors will be voting on the Yanchep Lagoon foreshore management plan and a draft implementation plan, which outlines a staged delivery starting with the Settlement and Dunes boardwalk and access path components.

According to the draft Yanchep Lagoon foreshore management implementation plan, which is on the council’s September 8 agenda meeting, the Settlement and Dunes boardwalk and access path component is due to start in October this year and finish in October 2028.

The Yanchep Lagoon precinct foreshore management plan divided the precinct into five areas: Mary Lindsay Homestead, The Settlement, The Promenade, Dune Park and Fisherman’s Hollow with the total project estimated to cost $43.5 million.

The boardwalk and access paths component of the total project is estimated to be $10m.

At present the City of Wanneroo’s long term financial plan includes $3.5m in reserves for the 2026-27 financial year and $11.3m for the 2027-28 financial year with a total of $46.1m included in the city’s long term financial plan.

The officer’s report said during the engagement process for the foreshore management plan concerns were raised by residents on the western side of Capricorn Esp about the proximity of the proposed boardwalk connecting Mary Lindsey Homstead and the Settlement.

The draft Yanchep Lagoon foreshore management implementation plan said there was a low risk of property damage associated with the boardwalk works and that undertaking necessary geotechnical and dilapidation investigations ahead of finalising detailed design and starting any works on site would mitigate that risk.

“The alignment of the boardwalk shown with the foreshore management plan is preliminary and requires future detailed geotechnical and environmental investigation to inform the most suitable alignment, that could then be considered for further community engagement,’’ the officer’s report said.

“These investigations are scheduled to be undertaken as part of the implementation plan from October to December 2026.’’

In an email dated July 30 the Western Australian Planning Commission said the city would also need to get a clearing permit from the Department of Environmental Regulation and Water for the 0.21ha of Bush Forever area 397 that would need to be cleared for the boardwalk.

In March councillors requested that the outcome of all site investigations, a refined board walk alignment and elevation profile be returned to the council for approval, prior to the start of detailed design, cost estimation or progression of subsequent project phases.

The March report also refers to friends or family members” of the four property owners” between the old surf club building and Mary Lindsay Homestead as objecting to the board walk.

Other feedback indicated the board walk was unnecessary and would duplicative the existing Capricorn Esp and path and risked becoming a ‘dead‑end’ experience.

Another complaint was the proposed alignment was through mid‑slope dunes with “very good” vegetation, causing avoidable clearing, habitat fragmentation, potential dune instability, was not accessible or providing value for money.

Respondents also emphasised alternatives at the bottom of the sand dunes and safety concerns including where a raised structure could impede westward evacuation to the beach in a bushfire and increase ignition risk (litter-cigarettes).

The boardwalk would also increase privacy, noise and after‑hours loitering risks for nearby residents.

The report said the boardwalk alignment was designed to provide a continuous, universally accessible link between key destinations in the precinct, improving safety, navigation and the visitor experience beyond the existing steep roadside paths.

“It reflects previous feedback to avoid the new fire access track, respond to dune form and vegetation and maintain strong connections between car parks, lookouts and precinct areas,’’ officer’s report said.

The report also acknowledged that while over the long term, the section of coastline-foreshore adjacent to the private properties (and in proximity to the proposed board walk) had advanced, that period of accretion had been focused over a 20-year period following the construction of the Capricorn groyne in the 1970s.