Brisbane has one, Cairns has one, even Darwin has one - and Perth is set to get one within a matter of years.
A man-made beach in the heart of the city will be a feature of the Riverside Project and one that Perth-based planning expert Garry Middle welcomes.
With much of the city's focus on the Elizabeth Quay Project, the Riverside Project which aims to transform the eastern gateway to the city into a vibrant destination has not received as much attention.
The project is being overseen by the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority and developed by Lend Lease.
It is split into a number of different areas, including one to be known as Waterbank.
Lend Lease project director Tim Urquhart said while the master plan for Waterbank was being finalised, stage one development applications would commence later this year.
“The man-made beach is part of this development and it aims to provide a relaxed urban waterside experience with public access, including for watercraft,” he said.
Mr Middle, a Curtin University adjunct researcher, said a man made beach created as an addition to the Swan River was a good idea.
“We need to make the foreshore diverse, we don’t want so much sameness, so this is something I’d like to see,” he said.
The concept of a man-made beach worked really well in other places, he said, singling out Brisbane’s beach in the Southbank area.
“When you go there you see it’s pretty family oriented and the way it is constructed was done really well with kids playgrounds and fountains," he said.
Mr Middle said while there were a few small beaches along the river in the South Perth area, generally there was not a lot of beach area on the Swan River.
He said issues that would need to be considered would be water quality and depth, ensuring the water did not drop off too quickly.
Mr Middle imagined the water would mostly be used for wading and as a launch point for paddlers.
He said while some in Perth were wary of swimming in the river, it was mostly a preference thing.
“There’s a spookiness about the seagrass and the water is not always exactly clear, there are jellyfish as well, and a sense of the unknown about swimming in the river,” Mr Middle said.
He said that much of the river was busy with boat activity as well, so an area set aside for people to use without too much other activity would be useful.
While the exact plans for the Waterbank area have not been finalised, Mr Middle said he would like to see a grassed area near the beach included.
He said “soft edges” such as grass were a good idea considering the other nearby river areas such as the Claisebrook Cove had a lot of concrete and “hard edges” suitable for walking but less suitable for children.
Mr Middle said the area would likely be most popular with locals rather than tourists.
”Our beaches are so good so tourists would still go to Cottesloe or Scarborough, this wouldn’t be an attraction in itself for tourists, he said.
The Riverside project is expected to be completed by 2020.
Source: http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/the-beach-comes-to-perths-centre-20140619-zsf56.html
