Sun lounges for Cott
Cottesloe beachgoers will be able to pay to use shaded sun lounges this summer if a proposal for the popular beach is approved.
Private company Perth Outdoor Events Pty Ltd wants to put about 30 beach beds and shade umbrellas on a 100sqm patch of the beach for six months of the year.
The lounges would be available for hire at $10 for two hours from October to April between 7am and 6pm seven days a week.
Rows of sun lounges and umbrellas are a common sight on European beaches, from Cannes on the French Riviera to Costa Blanca in Spain, but not in WA.
Town of Cottesloe is yet to consider the proposal but it is understood the council's works and corporate services committee this week voted to recommend a trial.
A report to the committee by the town's corporate and community services manager first recommended against the proposal but said if council were to approve it, conditions should include a trial that excluded the period during the Sculpture by the Sea exhibition, and a weekly rent of $200.
Perth Outdoor Events' proposal said introducing beach beds would give Cottesloe a point of difference from other local beaches and using umbrellas would reduce the risk of sunburn and skin cancer.
It also suggested using umbrellas would encourage visitors to stay longer at the beach by sheltering them from the afternoon wind.
It pointed to similar arrangements at beaches around the world, including Waikiki beach in Hawaii, Manly beach in NSW and Pompano beach in Florida.
"The popularity of beach beds among visitors at these diverse locations shows that this offering would be a well- received addition to Cottesloe Beach," the proposal said.
But the council report to Tuesday night's committee meeting flagged concerns about allowing a company to effectively "rope off" a section of the beach for its exclusive use.
"This will prevent other beachgoers from using this area, which could create problems at peak times," it said.
"It is also worth considering whether or not a similar approach from another business would also be permitted or whether this will be the only business of this kind allowed."
Cottesloe mayor Jo Dawkins declined to comment before council considered the matter.
Perth Outdoor Events also declined to comment. The company is owned and operated by former Nova radio announcer Chris Monahan, now a property consultant and western suburbs builder, and James Abbott, a property development company director and Cottesloe Surf Life Saving Club lifesaver.
