A coastal boardwalk linking two of Perth’s most iconic beaches that has been more than 20 years in the making is still far from guaranteed to get off the ground.
The City of Stirling has appointed consulting firm GHD to progress with the next stage of planning for the proposed Scarborough-Trigg coastal boardwalk, with detailed design work and environmental and planning investigation under way.
Speaking on Perth radio on Tuesday, Stirling mayor Mark Irwin said “If it doesn’t stack up on its merits, it won’t be built, it’ll be that simple”.
This appointment marks another milestone for the proposal, which was first considered by the council in 2005 but has repeatedly stalled over community concerns, environmental questions and debate over its cost.
The latest design phase, which is for only 15 per cent of the design, will take several months and is expected to be completed by June 30.
It will take into account feedback, refine the concept, update cost estimates and examine how the boardwalk could be constructed. It will also build on environmental investigations, including a detailed flora, vegetation and fauna survey of South Trigg Beach Reserve held last spring.
This phase was approved after a council decision at their November meeting last year, with the city only considering progressing beyond the 15 per cent design stage if outside funding can be secured.
The city received almost 2500 submissions during its 2025 community consultation phase, with 70 per cent supporting the project and 30 per cent objecting.
The estimated $18.5 million project had supporters arguing it would improve pedestrian safety, accessibility and tourism, while others were concerned about the impact on the coastline/erosion and the cost to ratepayers.
A council-commissioned economic impact statement suggested the actual cost could rise to almost $25m, although city officials believe the project could potentially provide an economic benefit of $100m over 30 years.
The boardwalk will stretch almost 1km between Trigg’s southernmost car park and Scarborough’s northernmost car park, creating a dedicated coastal walking route between the two beaches.
Initial concept designs include a whale tail-inspired shade shelter and six interpretive nodes featuring cultural displays reflecting the six Noongar seasons.
However, the idea of the 850m boardwalk has been anything but straightforward.
After the project was first considered in 2005, proposals have resurfaced in 2013, 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Stirling councillor Rob Paparde brought the current idea back in December 2023 when he asked for the concept to be considered at an elected members workshop. That went ahead a few months later and paved the way for the latest investigations and community consultations.
