Cambridge councillors called for a public presentation and community consultation on APIL Group’s plans for Floreat Forum in November 2023. The planning story has since moved on: APIL lodged a precinct structure plan in February 2024, and the Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC) approved its modified plan on 24 August 2026. The Town of Cambridge says the plan is now in effect, but it is a framework for future development—not approval of a particular building design or construction proposal.
What is happening with the Floreat Forum redevelopment?
The Floreat Activity Centre is planned as a mixed-use area, with residential and commercial or retail uses and the aim of increasing housing, employment and activity. The Town identifies Floreat Forum, Cambridge Library and residential land east of the shopping centre as parts of the activity centre.
The latest status reported by the Town is that the modified APIL precinct structure plan was approved by the WAPC in August 2026 and is in effect. This is a strategic planning framework for future development, rather than confirmation of a specific building design, construction start date or later development application.
What did Cambridge council ask APIL to do?
At a special council meeting in November 2023, councillors supported a motion by Cr Georgie Randklev asking APIL Group to present its emerging vision publicly. The motion also called for the Town to prepare a plan for consulting the community about what development at the site should look like.
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The request followed a report that APIL had briefed Mayor Gary Mack and senior Town staff earlier that month and intended to lodge a precinct structure plan in the coming months. Randklev argued that residents should be involved and said: “From where I sit, I do not think we should allow the process to continue without the transparency and engagement of the community which the local planning strategy and good administration requires.” Cr Jane Cutler said residents had “heard nothing since” earlier reports and that, until plans were presented publicly, “we are boxing at shadows”. An APIL spokesperson said the organisation had “no intention” of rushing the process and wanted to work closely with council and the community. PerthNow reported the meeting and statements on 23 November 2023.
How the planning decision unfolded
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| November 2023 | Cambridge councillors backed a request for an APIL public presentation and a Town plan for community consultation. |
| February 2024 | APIL submitted its precinct structure plan, according to the Town’s project history. |
| November 2025 | The WAPC decided to approve APIL’s plan subject to modifications and refused the Town-led plan. |
| 24 August 2026 | The Town’s planning framework page records approval of the modified APIL plan; the Town says it is in effect. |
The 2023 council motion was a request about transparency and consultation. It was not the later statutory decision on the plan: that decision was made by the WAPC. The Town’s Floreat Activity Centre project history and planning framework page describe the subsequent milestones.
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Does the approved plan mean construction can start?
Not on the evidence available in the Town’s published updates. Approval of a precinct structure plan establishes a framework to guide future development; it does not, by itself, establish that a particular building proposal has been approved or that construction can begin. The Town pages cited here do not establish the status of any subsequent development application, building design, construction programme or site works.
For readers tracking what may happen next, the relevant distinction is between the precinct-level framework and decisions on specific proposals. The approved plan’s parcel-level controls and any later applications would need to be checked in the applicable planning documents and application records.
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What scale of change was discussed in 2023?
PerthNow’s 23 November 2023 report described APIL’s site as more than 42,000 square metres. It also reported a Town planning strategy target of an additional 900 to 1,250 dwellings for the area and at least 6,830 new dwellings across the Town of Cambridge by 2050. Those figures were reported at the time and are not, on the sources cited here, verified as current targets or as dwelling numbers authorised by the approved precinct structure plan.
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