Paving in City Beach, about 17 km from our base
City Beach sits on the coast west of Floreat, about 17 km south west of IBP Paving's base in Landsdale. It is outside our usual northern run, so we take work here by arrangement and ask for the job details first: what you want paved, rough areas and a few photos. With that we can say whether we can schedule it and roughly when. The work itself covers natural stone, brick and concrete paving, pool surrounds, driveways, alfresco areas and soakwells, with over 20 years of experience behind it and a lifetime workmanship warranty.
The 1962 Games village and the Lime Kilns name
The central part of City Beach was built as the athletes' village for the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, close to Perry Lakes Stadium. Many of those homes and their 1950s and 1960s neighbours are likely to have been renovated or replaced since. The Lime Kilns Estate name is part of the suburb's history, a hint at the limestone that probably lies under the dunes. For paving, that history means a job may sit beside an older boundary wall or a mature garden that the owner wants to keep, so levels and edges get planned around them rather than starting from a cleared block.
Stone and pool paving for City Beach rebuilds
City Beach had the fifth highest median house price in Perth in 2020, and the projects that come with that tend to be larger and more design led than a standard driveway relay. Typical projects are pool surrounds in travertine or limestone, entertaining terraces and alfresco areas that run straight out from bifold doors, and front driveways in honed or flamed granite to suit a new facade. Our stone paving page compares the materials.
Stone near the sea needs more care than brick. We choose dense, low absorption stone, set pool coping with a fall away from the water, bed it on washed sand or mortar to suit the stone, and seal it so salt and chlorine do not get into the pores. Drainage gets planned at the same time as the levels, so a large terrace does not shed water against the house.
Town of Cambridge rules for crossovers, verges and street trees
City Beach is in the Town of Cambridge, which approves crossovers and verge paving before any work starts.
All new and reconstructed crossovers need Town approval and may be concrete or clay bricks. West of Selby Street, which takes in City Beach and Floreat, a crossover is at least 3.0 m and up to 6.0 m wide excluding splays, 0.75 m from a side boundary and 3 m from the face of a tree. The Town contributes half the cost of a first standard 3.0 m grey concrete crossover. Verge paving also needs approval and is capped at 18 m2 or 10 percent of the verge, whichever is greater; small format or porous pavers are preferred, large slabs are not allowed, and nothing may be paved within 1.5 m of a tree.
Source: Town of Cambridge, Standard Vehicle Crossover Policy 5.2.7; Street Verge Landscape and Maintenance Guidelines; Policy 098 Trees, Management of Street Trees.
Street trees carry real weight in these decisions. Under the Town's tree policy, a crossover or hardstand within 1.5 m of a street tree is only considered once other designs have been exhausted, following AS 4970-2009. So if a new driveway has to move, we set it out with the tree clearance in mind before you lodge. Because the half cost contribution is defined against a standard grey concrete crossover, ask the Town how it applies before choosing a paved finish. On stormwater, we size soakwells from the roof and paved area of each job and confirm drainage needs with the Town; our Perth soakwell requirements page compares how the councils handle it.
Dunes, limestone and the Bold Park edge
Most of City Beach is built on Quindalup dunes, described in the suburb's history as expansive sand dunes, usually with Tamala Limestone not far below. The sand drains well but shifts if it is not confined, so driveways go on a compacted crushed limestone base with solid edge restraints. Near the coast the groundwater sits above a saltwater wedge, and where the limestone comes up close to the surface we move or widen a soakwell rather than cut into rock. Homes within a couple of kilometres of the beach, which is likely most of the suburb, take exposure grade pavers. On the streets that back onto Bold Park and the dune bushland, we recommend non combustible paving beside the house rather than timber or mulch.
Floreat, Wembley Downs and the western suburbs
City Beach shares the Town of Cambridge rules with Floreat and Wembley, while Wembley Downs, Churchlands and Scarborough to the north fall under the City of Stirling. See areas we service for every suburb on our list.
