$200m retail and hospitality plans for Australian Marine Complex in Henderson

Plans for a $200 million business park in Henderson will form the retail and hospitality heart of the Australian Marine Complex.

Known as the Henderson Business Hub, the plans comprise five buildings with 737 car bays on a 1.85ha site on Quill Way.

Scope Property has submitted plans to the City of Cockburn for a 10-storey hotel, a five-storey hospitality and retail hub, 13 and 15-storey office buildings, and a five-storey medical building.

Founding director Robert Engelhard said the group was also refurbishing an existing tavern, currently leased to Running with Thieves.

It is likely to reopen in March or April this year.

The area is the only part of the Australian Marine Complex zoned for a local centre, amid a sea of industrial properties, and is likely to become the social heart of the precinct.

“Since acquiring the property in 2023, we have refurbished the office, restructured leases and leased vacant space so amenity continues to be provided for workers and visitors to the Australian Marine Complex in the short term,” Mr Engelhard said.

“In the medium to longer term, we have developed a master plan for the site, which is planned to be built in stages as demand dictates.

“We are waiting for our development application to be assessed.

“When this assessment is completed and, hopefully, approval is received, we will begin marketing the hotel and office space to secure pre-leasing commitments.”

Mr Engelhard said the development timeline was dependent on securing a builder and the take-up of leases in the proposed buildings.

“We plan to undertake the development in stages as demand dictates.”

Scope bought the land for $4.35 million in June 2023, when Mr Engelhard described the purchase as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity for this region of WA”.

At the time, the site had 3200sqm of existing office and shop space, including a two-storey building, a retail shopping precinct, a workshop and a fuel station.

“Our vision is to create a vibrant business hub that supports local industry, defence and government requirements now and into the future,” he said.

Element Advisory, representing Scope in the council submission, said it was “a pivotal opportunity to provide meaningful amenities and facilities to support the rapidly expanding Australian Marine Complex”.

The Australian Marine Complex is one of only two naval shipbuilding locations in Australia.

Scope Property is a Perth-based property syndicator.