Ocean Reef Marina roller shutter debate sparks call for broader review of popular house feature

The WA Planning Commission has knocked back a bid to ban street-facing roller shutters on future homes at the Ocean Reef Marina, but the debate could have implications far beyond the $273 million waterfront development.

Last week, the State’s Statutory Planning Committee approved the final design guidelines for Ocean Reef Marina’s first residential precinct.

Urban planners acting on behalf of DevelopmentWA sought to prohibit street-facing security shutters in the design guidelines, meaning homeowners would have needed development approval to install them.

“I think we can all agree that they do nothing for the aesthetic quality of a streetscape, and would certainly be inconsistent with this aim of creating a well-serving environment here,” the planners said during the meeting.

The proposal was ultimately rejected; however, WA Planning Commission chair Emma Cole suggested the issue could be considered as part of broader changes to the State’s residential design codes, meaning stricter rules on where roller shutters can be installed on homes across WA could be introduced in the future.

“I don’t think that they’re the same as lines and curtains. I do think they are fundamentally different. They’re exterior to the building for starters. They present a blank interface,” Ms Cole said.

“I think that we could perhaps look at the impact of roller shutters more broadly through the R-Codes.

“I think we probably do need to look at it as a more fundamental issue rather than try to create specific requirements in areas where it’s hard to.”

Despite expressing concerns about roller shutters in the precinct, Ms Cole said she was “swayed” by her colleagues to “be pragmatic” and back the officer’s recommendation not to prohibit them.

The comments come as the planning commission prepares to undertake a broader review of the R-Codes, which set the planning and design standards for residential development across the State.

The State Government announced the review in June as part of its efforts to “cut red tape for housing delivery”.

Earlier this year, the City of Stirling introduced a ban on street-facing roller shutters in heritage-protected areas of Mt Lawley, Menora and Inglewood, stating they were inconsistent with the traditional housing forms that characterise those areas and “detract from the visual cohesion and heritage appeal of the area”.

The Ocean Reef Marina’s urban planners also sought to tighten rules for air-conditioning units, proposing that units facing streets or public open spaces be integrated into the building design in terms of colour, location and form so they “don’t detract from the visual impact of the public realm”. However, the proposal was also not supported by the committee.

The objectives of the design guidelines approved last week state they are intended to help create “high-quality landscape and leisure amenity for residents and visitors, and provide visual and physical connections to the waterfront”.

The now-approved guidelines allow building heights of up to 12.8m in some sections of the precinct and 6.4m in others.

Once complete, Ocean Reef Marina will feature 550 wet boat pens, more than 1000 homes and apartments, 12,000sqm of retail, food and commercial floor space, more than 5ha of publicly accessible open space including parks and playgrounds, and a 50m coastal pool.

The first residential lots at Ocean Reef Marina are expected to go on sale in September, alongside the opening of the precinct’s first parklands.

The full build-out of the marina is not expected until beyond 2036.