The McGowan Government has signed a deal with the City of Karratha and transferred 13,563 square metres of suitable Crown land for the development of service worker accommodation.
The City has taken ownership of three underutilised Crown land parcels in Bulgarra - for housing development - to meet the growing demand for affordable housing in the region to accommodate service workers and the expanding resources sector.
Under the deal - the State has agreed to provide the land at a 23 per cent discount, equating to around $470,000 off market price. The 23 per cent discount has been offered by the State Government to the City of Karratha, highlighting the McGowan Government's commitment to provide more housing options for service workers throughout regional Western Australia.
To respond to the ongoing demands from the growing resources sector, and to create more service worker accommodation, the City proactively identified suitable unallocated Crown land and worked with the McGowan Government to settle the land transfers.
The City plans to facilitate the development of approximately 44 medium-density residential dwellings ¬- targeted at medium-income earners - to deliver more affordable housing options for service workers.
Under the agreement, the City has three years to commence construction on each of the land parcels.
As stated by Premier Mark McGowan:
"My Government has moved again to free-up suitable land in the regions for housing development, so that Western Australians can take up regional jobs and business opportunities.
"This land transfer paves the way for critical service worker housing in Karratha, helping to support local jobs and the local economy.
"This builds on our initiatives to deliver more housing in the regions, including our $200 million investment in Government Regional Officers' Housing across WA, the Building Bonus Grant, and our more than $2.4 billion investment into social housing."
As stated by Lands Minister John Carey:
"Since becoming Minister for Lands, I have sought to work with regional local governments to achieve positive outcomes for people across regional WA.
"This is what happens when the McGowan Government and a local government proactively work together, to achieve shared objectives for housing and land supply for the regions.
"By transferring this unallocated Crown land for service worker accommodation, we are helping to support the City to grow its housing supply and deliver greater housing choice and affordability, ensuring that Karratha is an attractive place to work and live.
"This important land transfer will ensure significant, long-term economic and social benefits for the Karratha community."
As stated by Pilbara MLA Kevin Michel:
"I am proud that the McGowan Government is making such contributions to assist in the growth, affordability and sustainability of housing within Karratha.
"This is a significant step forward towards housing affordability and attainability throughout the city of Karratha."
As stated by City of Karratha Mayor Peter Long:
"Access to and the cost of housing are a real issue facing residents in our community and a significant factor to achieving our vision of being Australia's most liveable regional City.
"The City has been working on a number of projects with the intention of bringing more accommodation online so this land transfer is a step towards addressing the housing shortage issues in the City of Karratha.
"We will continue to work on developing housing options for our community and would like to thank the State Government and the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage for their continued support."
