Demolition of former White Salt Cafe site in Sorrento starts for construction of $74m luxury apartments

Demolition has started at the old White Salt Cafe site in Sorrento to make way for the construction of an eight-storey apartment development, with the cafe making a temporary move nearby.

The $73.7 million Megara development on the Sorrento Plaza site on West Coast Highway will feature 75 apartments with a restaurant, cafe and small liquor store on the ground floor opening on to a 700sqm public plaza.

The development named Ora Sorrento lists prices on its website starting from $1.25 million for a two-bedroom, two-bathroom residence.

Images of the demolition shared on social media by White Salt Cafe drew plenty of attention on the weekend, with locals reminiscing over the venue which opened in 2005 and became synonymous with the Sorrento area.

The cafe was relocated across the road at the start of the year.

Owners Tim and Claire Leech told PerthNow the temporary move to Quality Resort Sorrento Beach was the ideal scenario and ongoing discussions of the development eased the move.

“It’s fair to say that site has been on the cards for development for nearly the whole time we’ve been there,” Mr Leech said.

“When we first opened up 20 years ago it was being discussed at that point as well, so it’s not a new thing.

“I think it’s fair to say most people on the coast, as time has gone on, have accepted that development or something there had to happen.

“There’s always going to be people that obviously don’t want development on the coast and I’m not a huge fan of development on the coast but I think in this instance the site has ended up with a good result.”

Mr Leech said they planned to move the cafe to one of the commercial spaces at the Ora Sorrento.

He said the business has not been given a concrete date but expected to move back to the site in “two to three years”.

“We’re hoping to just renew almost back at the same spot in a bigger and brand new version,” he said.

Mr Leech said the move would affect the business as it went from 120 seats to 50, but stayed optimistic about remaining in the area.

“It wasn’t sprung on us by surprise; it wasn’t something that we weren’t already prepared for or planning for, hence we moved across the street and worked that out,” he said.

“And then hopefully we move back again across the street in about two to two-and-a-half years time.

“It’s the best situation we could have hoped for at the time and it suits all our locals.

“Obviously we don’t have the view, which is a bit of a shame and it’s much smaller, but we literally picked up the furniture and moved it across the street.

“It’s convenient because it stays where we are.”

Mr Leech said the new and improved venue would also bring a change of direction for the business to maximise on the ocean views.

“We’re hoping to go back and set up what’s called a Mediterranean bar/restaurant. So a lunch and dinner scenario, not really a cafe as such for breakfast, but more of a bar and a restaurant,” he said.

“We’re hoping for a slightly bigger version of where we were that’s brand new, squeaky clean, overlooking the Indian Ocean.”

Mr Leech said the ability to stay in the area has been of upmost importance for White Salt Cafe. They prided themselves on hiring local staff and serving the local community, which he said was “just as important as the food and drink”.

“We always set out to do something that regarded as local by the community; that’s always been my preference first and foremost for the local community because we live in the local community,” he said.

“The community has been very good to us and they’ve supported us well over the years.

“We had a big closing down party just before Christmas and we had literally hundreds of people who came that live local and staff that have been through us.

“When you’re a business that has been around that long, you see those young teenagers grow and become mature adults, marry and have kids of their own. So it’s just one big family.”