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A 2.8 hectare prime block in Mosman Park has been rezoned allowing for higher-density housing, with residents voicing cautious support for change but raising concerns about traffic, overshadowing and whether the development will fit the suburb’s character.
Planning and Lands Minister John Carey signed off on the rezoning of 60 McCabe Street on September 16 from social care use to land that can include housing and mixed-use development, apartment blocks and community spaces.
The new zoning allows for parts of the land to accommodate buildings up to five storeys.
This followed earlier approval by the Town of Mosman Park and the WA Planning Commission.
The new zoning will allow for parts of the land to accommodate buildings up to five storeys, with consideration of uses such as a café, restaurant or community facilities, subject to further planning and approvals.
The land was sold on August 8 for $56 million by long-standing disability provider Rocky Bay to Curtin Heritage Living, an upmarket aged care operator with facilities in Cottesloe and East Fremantle.
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Curtin Heritage Living managing director David Cox said the site would become an “integrated care precinct”.
“It will have some residential housing for older people and some supported accommodation, and will include an area that specialises in dementia-related services,” he said.
“There will be community amenity services for older and younger people also.”
Cox said there would be a six-month consultation period with the community, including with the Mosman Park Ratepayers Association and other groups.
“It’s super important to us that we get that engagement,” he said.
Curtin Heritage Living’s finalised development plans will still require approval from the Town of Mosman Park and the WA Planning Commission.
Carey said the rezoning was part of a wider push to provide more housing options in Perth’s western suburbs.
“With the potential to deliver a range of housing options, this redevelopment will help the Town of Mosman Park meet its infill housing targets and supports our broader goal of creating more diverse and affordable, well-located housing options across Perth,” he said.
Curtin Heritage Living’s finalised development plans will still require approval from the Town of Mosman Park and the WA Planning Commission.
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While 70 per cent of residents in a preliminary neighbour survey backed residential development of the block, many objected to multi-storey buildings, citing fears of overshadowing, privacy loss, traffic congestion and the erosion of the area’s low-rise coastal character.
In a deputation to council earlier this year, Gwen Speirs, from the Mosman Park Residents and Ratepayers Association, said the traffic effects of development were impossible to judge until full plans were revealed.
“It’s impossible to assess the traffic impact on McCabe Street when the total number of dwellings for the site hasn’t even been determined,” she said.
She also questioned whether the rezoning would deliver on its promise of creating a “vibrant community”.
“The construction of new buildings in itself does not create a community,” Spiers said.
According to Census data, Mosman Park’s housing stock has barely shifted in a decade.
Between 2011 and 2021, private dwellings grew 3.1 per cent – from 3988 to 4113 – despite steady population growth, highlighting how the council has historically resisted density increases.
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