Department of Fire and Emergency Services notes concerns around Gnarabup Resort proposal

The State’s peak fire safety department has poured cold water on the developer’s plans for a five-star resort at Gnarabup. In information obtained by protest group Preserve Gnarabup, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services submission noted “insufficient information” in the Saracen Property Group’s bushfire management plan for the mooted Westin Margaret River Spa & Resort. Those plans were previously under fire for a contentious effort to rope in neighbouring Shire of Augusta-Margaret River reserves as part of the buffer needed to meet WA’s tough bushfire risk requirements, as well as the intention for guests and residents to shelter in place in the event of a major emergency. Preserve Gnarabup said the resort plans, accompanied by a de facto new village centre for the coastal hamlet, required a massive rethink before they could be considered for approval by the State Government – despite Premier Mark McGowan personally championing the project back in 2020 when he flew to Margaret River unveiling the resort plans. Preserve Gnarabup spokeswoman Beth Carlessi welcomed DFES’s submission and said the existing risk plan identified major problems during peak summer tourist season. “We know that generally almost every day in January and February in Gnarabup is an extreme or catastrophic fire-rating day,” she said. “We also know these months are the peak tourist season when the number of people staying in Gnarabup and Prevelly will be at its largest. “Doubling the population of the area by housing an extra 1000 people will just put them at greater risk of death due to fire, along with all the existing residents of Prevelly and Gnarabup,” Ms Carlessi said. “A route for a second road out of Gnarabup was extensively investigated by Main Roads and the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River following the 2011 bushfire that burnt many homes and trapped local people within Prevelly and Gnarabup.” However, there were no plans to build the road which would potentially only give residents a false sense of security, the protest group said. “If a second access road cannot be effective, the population of Gnarabup and Prevelly should not be increased,” Ms Carlessi said. The proposed development is facing direct assessment by the WA Planning Commission along with State and Federal environmental reviews. Project director Joel Saraceni did not respond to inquiries prior to deadline. In its submission to WAPC, the Shire said it was unable to provide a verdict due to a lack of information around key points as well as concerns about bushfire management. The DFES submission identified the lack of a second route, insufficient capacity for sheltering in place, as well as ambiguity around evacuation of guests and residents during peak bushfire risk days.