SUMMARY: The purpose of the petition below is to show Ben Wyatt, the WA government's Minister for Lands, massive community support for Urbnsurf's proposed wave park at Tompkins Park in Alfred Cove. Supporters would be grateful if the wider Australian community comprising surfers, SUPpers, visitors & tourists, put their vote forward. Also, any direct email to Minister.Wyatt@dpc.wa.gov.au would be very much appreciated.
[The purpose of this post is NOT TO DEBATE the merits or evils of wave-parks here. It simply is a shout-out for help to supporters, to add their voice to this specific long-running initiative for Perth.]
Details: Perth has exceptionally nice beaches, with exceptionally poor surf, due to ~35km of swell-shadow created by Garden Island, Rottnest Island, and the Five Fathom Bank running between them. The proposed wave-park would be located approximately mid-way north/south, ~7km inland in the suburb of Alfred Cove adjacent to the Swan River, providing maximum accessibility to the Perth community.
Only 10% of the required area in the Urbnsurf proposal lies on part of Crown Land Lot 9789, a narrow slice of ground bordering Tompkins Park and the river. Lot 9789 widens slightly at its very western end into a patch of sparsely grassed barren ground, where the wave-park plan overlaps it. Before the proposal can proceed, this land portion needs approval by Mr Wyatt to be purchased by the Melville City Council and included in the total area for lease by Urbnsurf. (Urbnsurf's proposal includes keeping the existing cycle path along the waterfront, and landscaping the whole public space it follows.)
For well over 2 YEARS a local minority element has run an anti-development campaign against the wave-park proposal. Initially it attempted to derail the project BEFORE it had commenced 'due process', attacking the host Melville City Council and following with a smear campaign of misinformation to the public that has continued despite wide community support. Due process has nonetheless been followed after the successful April 2017 lease agreement with Melville City Council for the location, with URBNSURF submissions gaining the required approvals from stakeholders including the Environmental Protection Authority and Main Roads Department; and even successfully beating a court challenge. But the final requirement for the Minister for Lands' approval has been met with a rejection, Mr Ben Wyatt stating ...
"While I admire the enthusiasm of the developers, we must remember that it is land owned by the community," he said. "Without local support it is impossible to justify locking future generations out of the space which was designated for public recreation and constant use."
... the absurdity being that hundreds of locals were present as supporters at official council meetings, far outnumbering those against the development... And that the petition is approaching 7,000 signatures as I write.
Please help the local and wider Perth community improve the utility of this area by maintaining strong support for the wave-park project in its proposed location at Tompkins Park, an area long zoned as 'urban' 'active recreation'. We and our children will benefit. Perth thanks you in advance.
www.change.org/p/ben-wyatt-support-the-wave-park-for-perth?recruiter=33446788&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial.pacific_post_sap_share_gmail_abi.gmail_abi&recruited_by_id=62a518d0-0c30-0130-612c-00221964dac8&utm_content=fht-14610357-en-gb%3Av5
I'm all for a wave park . But why build it in such a controversial place?
There are so many other locations in Perth that it could be built without upsetting all the nimbys ,and most probably for a cheaper price. Keeping the price down for those that want to use it
I will sign anyway. 
Yep allways thought it was not a good location. The project does not require primo real estate to operate & being close to the river means that there was nothing to block wind from the NE. Which is the predominant wind direction for times of low swell & greater need. Makes more sense to build it somewhere like the base of the hills with heaps of trees around it blocking the wind. That area also sux for traffic...not even important to have the place in Perth at all really. But if you wanted to make it accessible it should be at the base of the hills around Midland or Armadale with a Transperth agreement to allow groms to carry boards on buses to the venue.
The location needs to support a business case and make the project economic. At $30m development cost, location to market is key, hence the central focus. Perth population isn't big enough to support a location further afield, like in Melb..
^^ Fair enough, you make a good point. I guess thats why Atlantis in Yanchep & the Lion Park up that way didn't stand the test of time. However Adventure World was fully out in the sticks when it first started & thats in like the middle of suburbia now & going strong. Surfers do not mind a bit of a drive to get waves. I'm just saying maybe build it in an area thats not fully primo real estate. That area already shut down the extension of the Roe Hway that had already started construction, they're HC kooks. Sorry the location is ridiculous. Your talking big bucks, look at the station gaps in the Southern train line South of Rockingham and how fast those areas are growing. There are plans to build a new station around there already. Not everything needs to be built in Perth, surfers have always been happy to travel for waves and geez with the perspective of guaranteed waves making the decision to go even easier. You just gotta make the price/quality of the wave worth it. Surely cheaper real estate works into that equation. Perhaps rethink the idea & go with something like the design of Surf Lakes that has come out since this project selected an inferior design citing waves per minute for that decision.
Around two years ago this project was going to be built by late last year.
I hate to be negative as there is nothing more I want than a wave pool but whoever is funding/project management/executives of this should of moved location 18 months ago...
Couple things
1) it's prime public real estate their which is free to access and everyone can use it.
2) why propose a development where it's going to be politically sensitive.
3) with fifo workers in Perth plus the population there is a minimum of 50,000 people living here who would drive within an hour to use it.
plus all the travelling surfers and tourists and backpackers who would no doubt surf it as well...
I think Kevin Costner said it best in field of dreams
If you build it they will come....
If it was to be built north of yanchep or south of Mandurah Where land can be procured for 20 acres for around the million mark surely , surely the whole land and build couldn't be more than 20 million
To be honest I've lost the faith on this project a while ago , I've hung in hoping and wishing but with the rich/uptight/poodle owning/snobs in the electorate they want to build it ,,, it was always going to be a struggle.
damn damn shame,,,
Imagine waking up in your 7 million dollar waterview house walking out into your 100 metre balcony and witnessing four smelly hippies with smoke still coming out of their bong holes walking down your street with surfboards
Do you think Ben Wyatt/Labor monkeys might be hoping some of the Liberal supporters in the area might swing their vote now the surf park has be ousted from their turf !
The location is the issue. For such a large investment they really do need the perfect central spot to people moving too and from, near were surfers actually are or commute. Also for tourists to be able to commute to and from the city or airport to Freo, they will run straight past this. (Kinda like the theme parks from Brisy airport to goldy.)
Even the Joondalup wave pool, Aloha (yes i know its not exactly the same) with a investment of $6million doesnt get the support because its too far north. Knock of work, on the way home go for a quick surf ? That's i think what made that location so good. Aloha is so busy on the weekends, but with such big investment, they need weekday traffic also.
I was thinking back, what was the last big ticket Private investment in WA? Was it Adventure world ?
The way this was politically canned at the last moment, would make any new investors in this state think twice about rolling the dice IMHO..
Perth is so backwards and miles behind the eastern states that it's no surprise to hear it's been canned.
WA government crap on about attracting tourists and making Perth a better place yet they have absolutely no foresight.
Perth would be the perfect place for a wave pool. Hundreds of grown men regularly fight each other for a half foot wave. The possibility of standing up on some foam dribble attracts a small army.
And the fact that Perth surfers put in 6 hours of driving just to get wet you would think it's a no brainer to get something built.
Look at the Waco model. It would instantly be Perth's best wave.
But no
Perth people constantly remind the rest of the country why Perth is Perth
Didn't waco close cause someone contracted a brain amoeba...?
At least that could never happen in Perth, the brain amoebas would starve to death
Something a lot of people are missing, is that historically many of the locals in that particular suburb have an extremely strong dislike for the Windsurfing and Kitesurfing community.
This goes back as far as the 80's when windsurfing first hit the scene.
I remember going there to learn to windsurf back in the day and it wasn't pleasant to say the least.
The tension between these new "windsurfer bums" clogging up their hallowed foreshore and local residents was palpable in those days, and I'd imagine it has only worsened over the years especially with the popularity of kiting.
The parking and access has increased over the years which has only made it more convenient and accessible for non-local residents to utilise the foreshore.
Stands to reason that these days there would be many more people down there in the conditions and more animosity to go along with it.
Also schools / lessons etc......
It's an old wealthy suburb the last thing they now want in their minds is to add a bunch of "surfer bums" into the mix.
It ain't gonna happen in that location........ no way ........ no how,
Too much history, too wealthy a demographic, and too much influence.
The developers need a good reality check.........stop beating their heads against a brick wall and find another location.
They are up against the type of curmudgeons who will never give up the fight.
North of the river would be good ....... 
Perth wake park is in Baldivis. Fail to see why same location for wave pool wouldn't work. Heap of surfers in area and most are FIFO and likely to spend $ mid week when they home. Not to far for Perth crew to travel south as well - heck most Perth surfers drive 2 plus hours without batting an eyelid. Only gonna get busier in that area as well with suburbs popping up everywhere
What about this spot in Carine just north of Trigg ? (Star Swamp Reserve)
Plenty of $$ suburbs nearby for the operators to cash in on.
Probably the largest local surfer population in Perth, the golf courses don't seem to be affecting the environment too much (for the greenies) and you can guarantee that sooner or later it will be developed for housing if left untouched ??
Always wondered what was in there and by the looks of it, its SFA ??
I think the currant proposed location is perfect. It has a great location on the city's iconic swan river. It's government land as afr as I know. Why do we have to bow to the snobs and minority groups who fight change every step of the way. Because we live in Perth and it's always been the way. It was the same when the local skate community in freo asked for a new skate park. I went to the town hall for the last vote. I watched as the no crew lifted the arms of wheel chair bound oldies who had no idea why they where there to vote no. In the end the majority of the no crew realised what a success the park is and wished we made it bigger.
We we hear rumours of artificial reefs coming to our straight lined coast but the dream is never realised. Instead we hear the old story about how it went wrong at cabbles. The truth is they only built half the reef. If they did it properly we would have a great reef and the knockers would not be able to winge and stop more from going ahead.
Revolution is needed in this old stale city state country We need to open our minds to change and get rid of the old way of thinking. That fore shore is ours not the people who live close to it.
i think current location is terrible.
it has bad public transport access, no parking, middle of suburbia, AND a suburb where no-one wants it full of hob knobs, bad traffic access, swampy so difficult construction, swampy, bird and marine lift, problems with swan river trust or whoever thy have re-named themselves this week, expensive rent or costs for land, i could go on.
WHY choose a spot where you are going to be up against the neighbours? just move on.
choose somewhere near our train line, be it way north or way south. cheaper land, more land, more parking, include other things, better soil so cheaper to construct, more room out of suburbia less issues with heavy machinery during construction, less noise restrictions etc etc.
iits flogging a dead horse and wasting money.
i would love this to go ahead but just cannot see it in this location.
ps star swamp, are you serious? just as bad a spot. can you imagine saying you are going to tear up this place? bush land, used walkways...
plus its on a hill! you need a flat area...
