The development includes 247 apartments across two towers and a retail and hospitality component.

Blackburne is set to transform Ocean Village Shopping Centre into a residential and commercial precinct featuring a twin-tower apartment development.

The Subiaco-based developer is planning to build two apartment buildings, of 22 storeys and 10 storeys, a neighbourhood shopping centre, restaurants and cafes at the Kilpa Court site.

The $200 million proposal went live on the Western Australian Planning Commission significant development pathway today, following lodgement earlier this year.

Blackburne flagged its intentions to build on the site two years ago, when it purchased the company that owned Ocean Village Shopping Centre.

The purchase spun-out of the collapse of builder Pindan, with the entity acquired was known as Pindan Capital Ocean Village Pty Ltd.

Blackburne managing director Paul Blackburne said the development, comprising 247 dwellings, responded to the Town of Cambridge’s local planning strategy.

Published in 2021, the strategy states that the shopping centre site is “underutilised and suitable for redevelopment as a mixed use, multi-storey centre” with up to 250 dwellings.

“The town’s strategy emerged from extensive community input, which highlighted a preference for new housing to be concentrated at key sites like Ocean Village Shopping Centre in lieu of blanket density,” Mr Blackburne said.

Retail is a major part of the development. Image: Blackburne 

He said the dwellings would attract strong demand from local baby boomers looking to downsize from their family homes.

“The apartments will be purchased primarily by local owner occupiers, particularly empty nesters and baby boomers,” Mr Blackburne said.

“These residents, looking to ‘right-size’, are typically no longer in need of large family homes, which in turn will make available approximately 1,000 bedrooms to families wanting to move to the area.”

MJA Studio, the architect behind many of Blackburne‘s projects, designed the apartments.

The development comes as Blackburne completes its Grove apartment complex in Claremont, which includes 230 dwellings.

The company is also planning a $420 million apartment complex in Karrinyup, named West Village, to complement its existing Karrinyup apartments at East Village.

The Ocean Village plan is open for public comment on the WAPC website.

The apartment development will include amenities including a swimming pool. Image: Blackburne