Geraldton council and Champion Bay Surf Life Saving Club debate foreshore development

Geraldton councillors and a local surf lifesaving club clashed over a new facility on the foreshore at Tuesday night’s agenda forum. Councillors are set to vote on the approval of Policy 1.5, version four, regarding foreshore use and development next week. The aim of the policy, which was first approved in 2015, is to provide an effective framework for the management of proposals for commercial business infrastructure development, recreational and other usages on the City’s foreshore reserves. President of the Champion Bay Surf Lifesaving Club, Peter Nelson, attended the agenda forum and spoke about the group’s issues. Champion Bay SLSC patrols Champion Beach and the Geraldton Foreshore each Sunday during the summer months. Mr Nelson said their current facility was smaller than that of the Rubik’s Cube toilets on the foreshore. Council heard that the group has to transport four trailer loads of equipment including jet skis from shipping containers located in the car park across the road as well as at Snap Fitness. Mr Nelson said the club wanted to build a permanent facility on the foreshore at their current location, which policy 1.5 blocks. He said a new facility would allow them to expand their services and that work on a basic design to present to council was under way. Phil Melling, director of development services at the council, said the foreshore policy had been in place since 2015 and the group hadn’t submitted anything in that time for a permanent base. He outlined that council had had numerous meetings with the SLSC and discussed the issues Mr Nelson had raised. Mayor Shane Van Styn said a two-storey building on the foreshore would likely not pass council and suggested they look at alternatives. One of the alternatives suggested was the yarning circle on the foreshore, however Mr Nelson said this was a compromise and would not be ideal.