Proposed Smiths Beach luxury resort flagged as 'fatally flawed' in initial bushfire assessment
ABCA planned $280 million luxury resort along an iconic stretch of Western Australia's coastline was deemed "fatally flawed" by the state's bushfire authority, freedom of information documents have revealed. Key points: DFES says the resort's initial plans would not be able to achieve compliance with planning regulations Developers dispute the characterisation, claiming the proposal would increase bushfire resilience Firefighters urge authorities to take another look at towns that only have one road in and out Perth businessman Adrian Fini is planning to build the resort at Smiths Beach, a well-known tourist and surfing hotspot in WA's South West food and wine region. Many coastal townsites in WA's south are also served by one road in and out but DFES said, as it was the case at Smiths Beach, the development failed to meet bushfire planning standards. "The successful experience of Bunker Bay in managing a bushfire response during 2022 demonstrates that the proposal put forward for the Smiths Beach coastal village is appropriate and practical," the developer said. Access issue a 'constant tension' WA's Planning Minister Rita Saffioti said if DFES's logic were applied to existing communities, such as Yallingup, any development would be denied.
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