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Scarborough Fair Markets Site
The Scarborough Fair Market was once located on the corner of Scarborough Beach Road and West Coast Highway. Very little information can be found on it, particularly relating to its history but it was open on the weekend in the midst of shops along the outside perimeter, which traded during regular hours.
I probably would’ve gone to the markets on numerous occasions but the only memory that comes to mind was going on a late Sunday afternoon as a family. It must have been sometime around 3pm. The sun was hidden behind the Rendezvous Hotel, making the carpark and entrance area on Scarborough Beach Road dark and quite cool.
Other than that, I can’t recall anything about the markets from that day, aside not buying anything and how quiet the venue was. Perhaps it had been a decade or more from the time I went, that the bustling markets were more actively popular. As a teenager of around 14 years old, I had no interest in going there and was quite bored, as I followed the steps of the parentals around the place. Thankfully we didn’t stay long and I suspected the parentals found it as boring as I did, except they had money and I didn’t.
I also have little memory of what was sold there, although it didn’t seem to be anything fresh food related. A blog post from 2014 (some 20 years since my memory took place), states “antiques, collectibles, curios and bric-a-brac, the stalls in Scarborough Fair Market are stacked full of eclectic treasures”.
A 2016 listing for Perth markets lists the “lively” Scarborough markets as “specialising in antiques and collectables… a large amount of fashion accessories, jewellery, surfing gear, Perth souvenirs and general bric-a brac” The opening times are listed as Friday to Sunday, 9am to 5.30pm.
April 2007
Development
A $300m approved development application from Chinese-backed Australian company 3 Oceans, for the old 7700m² Scarborough Markets site, has run out of time. Approval was given for two towers, 43 and 35 storeys high, despite extensive community backlash and a high-profile campaign. The tower’s height is at least 25 floors higher than the height limitations set out by the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority (MRA).
Set on the corner of West Coast Highway and Scarborough Beach Road, the December 2017 proposal was designed to be a hotel and entertainment precinct with a convention centre, 370 apartments, shops and eateries over three buildings up to 43 storeys high. This was nearly four times the base height maximum of 12-18 storeys, under the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority's Scarborough Planning Framework.
December 2021
Timeline of Events
18 June 2015: The Scarborough Master Plan sets a height limit on apartment developments to a maximum of 18 storeys, as set out by the MRA Interim Scheme (p.47).
19 May 2017: 3 Oceans submit a development application consisting of:
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Two apartment towers of 35 and 43 storeys tall
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Containing 346 apartments
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A 158 hotel room
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2,800m² floor space reserved for retail and restaurants
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Art gallery, café and public viewing deck.
8 December 2017: The Metropolitan Development Authority refuses the application.
11 June 2018: A revised proposal is submitted, consisting of a reduction of levels for the 38 storey tower to 35 and apartments reduced to 314. The 35 storey tower is reduced to 33 levels and hotel rooms are reduced to 119.
June 2018: Approval is given for two towers, 43 and 33 storeys high. The original investment of $450m drops to $250m.
November 2018: Scarborough Fair Markets is demolished.
December 2018: Managing Director Dyno Zhang resigns from 3 Oceans after “a breakdown in communications”. He appears to have been the driving force behind the Scarborough Market development, which was designed by Hillam Architects.
January 2019: The Scarborough Markets development was previously scheduled to begin this month but a delay has resulted from 3 Oceans being in the process of appointing a new general manager to replace Dyno Zhang. Multiplex were nominated as the preferred builder, although no contract had ever been signed.
April 2019: A spokesperson for 3 Oceans Property (Scarborough) Pty Ltd, declares the project to be on hold, due to a comprehensive review that determines it isn’t financially viable to build in the current market. As a result, they will be exploring other options and engaging a new design team in the process.
November 2019: Consideration is being given to using the vacant block for a carpark and pop-up retail site over the next few months.
July 2021: 3 Oceans announces amended redevelopment plans at an investment cost of $300m:
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Windsurfer Tower – A 43-storey apartment complex, designed by
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Surfer Tower – 21 storeys
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Skater Tower – 15 storeys
The three towers combined will provide 370 apartments, with the first three podium floors set to include 12 cafes, restaurants, 720m² shared office space, arts space facilities, a gallery, 140-seat indoor theatre as well as an outdoor amphitheatre.
June 2022: 3 Ocean’s high-rise proposal expires and no requests for an extension are made.
21 February 2024: 3 Oceans have no plans to redevelop the old Scarborough Markets site, which remains a vacant block of land, attracting vandals, squatters, graffiti and rubbish. Despite large amounts of rubbish and possessions filling up the remains of the site and a coincidental increase of crime in the locality, the authorities have been said to be slow to act.
