In April 2021 Preserve Gnarabup referred the proposed development on Gnarabup Headland to the EPA under Section 38 of the Environmental Protection Act 1986. In December 2021 the EPA Chair determined to assess the Proposal at the highest possible level – Public Environmental Review.

In late 2024 the EPA advertised the proponent’s Environmental Review Document (ERD) for four weeks of public consultation. The Authority received 2690 submissions with the vast majority opposed to the development proceeding. You can see the Preserve Gnarabup submission on our ‘Read our Submissions’ page.

In late May 2025 the WA EPA released its Environmental Impact Assessment report and recommendations to the Environment Minister. The EPA set out that its assessment found the Minister could approve the development with conditions. Preserve Gnarabup, along with the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River, Margaret River Coastal Residents Association, Margaret River Environment Centre, Conservation Council of WA, the Wildflower Society and others appealed the EPA’s report. Thank you to everyone who has donated to our campaign or attended one of our fundraising events. This support enabled us to pay for an Environmental Lawyer who helped us prepare our appeal document.

The WA Appeals Convenor is now considering these appeals and consulting the EPA, and will release a final report to the Minister. The Minister for Environment will then make a decision on whether to approve the development under the WA Environmental Protection Act.

If you would like more detail of the documents provided to the EPA by the Proponent, you can view them on EPA Gnarabup webpage HERE.

The public consultation on the Development Application closed on 2 March 2022 and we understand that more than 1,849 people and organisations made submissions opposing the development. You can read our Preserve Gnarabup submission HERE.

The State Development Assessment Unit provided the following update to Preserve Gnarabup.

“At the close of consultation for the proposed Gnarabup – Hotel, Residential and Commercial Development a total of 2057 public submissions were received, which can be broken down as follows;

• Not Supportive – 1849 (89.9%)
• Supportive with changes – 33 (1.6%)
• Supportive – 175 (8.5%)

It is important to note that these are raw figures which may need to be adjusted once we undertake a more detailed analysis to account for any duplications or late submissions.”

The assessment of the Development Application will resume if and when the WA Environment Minister approves the development under the Environmental Protection Act 1986.

Many of the most critical issues for this development to be approved are planning issues which will be considered as the Development Application is considered under the WA Planning and Development Act 2005. The Development Application is still under assessment and we know the State Development Assessment Unit (SDAU) planners have asked the proponent to change the Development Application. It will challenging for the proponent to make it compliant with State Planning Policy and the Local Planning Scheme. The current Development Application is very problematic on a range of fronts that the decision maker, the WA Planning Commission (WAPC), will want to see addressed. Bushire safety and risk management is a key matter. Locals who live in Gnarabup, Prevelly, Wallcliffe and Wilderness, along with locals and tourists who visit the area, plus the extra 1,500 people the development will bring in will all be at significant risk if the development goes ahead as planned. That is why the Government’s own fire experts, Department of Fire and Emergency Services refuses to support the development. Another key matter is that the proponent has not completed adequate Geotech and Hydrology studies. The SDAU is concerned that without this data, it is unable to assesses the suitability of the site for excavation and development, particularly as parts of the site are on karst limestone and rain falling on the site is known to move quickly through the landform and into Gnarabup Bay and Back Beach. Once the SDAU completes its assessment, a recommendation will be made to the WA Planning Commission. The WAPC is the final decision maker on this Development Application. However, depending on situation, there could be recourse in some instances to the State Administrative Tribunal or to the Supreme Court for judicial review.