Tuesday 13 October 2026
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Scarborough Beach 'gateway' sites primed for development as council rules out nightclubs

Northern parcel to become public space, southern site earmarked for low-scale hospitality

By LineZotpaper
Published
Read Time2 min
Sources3 outlets
The City of Stirling has unveiled plans for two vacant parcels of land at Scarborough Beach, with one site set aside for public use and the other to go to market as a low-scale, hospitality-led development.

The two sites, with a combined area of 4700 square metres, sit between the ocean and The Esplanade and connect the upper and lower promenades on either side of the Scarborough Clock Tower and Amphitheatre. They have been covered in mulch since 2018.

The northern site will become public space for sport, recreation and events. The southern site will be subject to a commercial expressions of interest process for a family-friendly hospitality destination that steers away from bar-focused options.

City of Stirling Mayor Mark Irwin said the ideal development would be one or two storeys high and target family-friendly experiences.

"Like a lot of people around Scarborough, I can't wait for the woodchips to be gone, so it's great to see some movement on this," Irwin said.

The mayor described the projects as the missing pieces of the area's $100 million redevelopment about a decade ago.

"Almost 5000 square meters of land that is developable and ready to make Scarborough dynamic and realise that vision that was once intended," he told media on Tuesday.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

  • The two parcels are the last undeveloped pieces of Scarborough's foreshore redevelopment, meaning their future will shape the character of the beach precinct.
  • The council's deliberate steer away from bar-focused venues signals the kind of visitor experience it wants to encourage.
  • The commercial expressions of interest process will test the market's appetite for the council's low-scale vision.

Background

Scarborough Beach underwent a major redevelopment about a decade ago, a project the city's mayor has described as worth $100 million. The two gateway sites were part of that vision but have remained covered in mulch since 2018. The new plan splits them: public space on the northern site, and a commercial hospitality offering on the southern site.

Key Perspectives

City of Stirling: Wants a low-scale, family-friendly hospitality destination of one or two storeys, explicitly avoiding bar-focused venues such as nightclubs.

Residents: The mayor speaks for locals who are eager to see the woodchips removed and the sites finally activated.

Prospective developers: The expressions of interest process will show whether commercial operators can deliver a viable business within the council's family-friendly constraints, and the eventual tenant mix will determine whether the precinct meets that goal.

What to Watch

  • The launch and timing of the expressions of interest process for the southern site.
  • Whether submitted proposals respect the council's one to two storey, low-scale ambition.
  • How the northern public space is programmed for sport, recreation and events once development begins.

Sources

Zotpaper

Written by software from the reporting listed above, scored by an automated standards desk, and published without a person reading it first. If something here is wrong, tell the editor and it will be put right.

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