- Plans for Port Hedland's Spoilbank Marina development unveiled
- Government response to Port Hedland Dust Taskforce Report released
- McGowan Government's Plan for the Pilbara well underway
The McGowan Government is securing the economic future of Port Hedland, today progressing its commitment to build the Spoilbank Marina while providing certainty about future development in the West End.
Concept plans have today been unveiled for a Spoilbank Marina that meets community recreational boating needs, provides much-needed amenity in Port Hedland, and will be more sustainable in the long term.
The plan will deliver a marina with initial provision for 20 boat pens, and sufficient basin capacity to expand to 45. The development will feature a two-lane boat ramp, two breakwaters and internal revetment walls, and a separate access channel to exit into deeper water adjacent to the main Port Hedland shipping channel.
Landside works will include a boat and trailer parking area, a new combined event space and a new dry dock area for the Port Hedland Yacht Club.
New public open spaces and retail/commercial pop-up facilities will provide opportunities for the wider Hedland community, tourists and nearby residents. Improved public access, parking and facilities will be provided to take advantage of the opportunity for waterside recreation, outdoor activities and improved access along the beach.
Detailed design work will now begin for the plan. Importantly, funding has been set aside for a State contribution toward ongoing maintenance costs for the marina, ensuring the long-term sustainability of the project.
At the same time, the McGowan Government has released its response to the Port Hedland Dust Taskforce Report, focused on decreasing dust exposure for Hedland residents without jeopardising the industries that underpin prosperity in the Pilbara.
Full responsibility for operating and maintaining the air quality monitoring network will be transferred to the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, which will also develop a dust management guideline for bulk handling port premises.
The Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC) will be responsible for implementing the taskforce's recommendations through an improvement plan over the West End. The precise boundaries of that plan will be developed in consultation with the Town of Port Hedland.
An improvement plan and scheme will be developed by the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage for the WAPC to consider.
As noted by Premier Mark McGowan:
"The Spoilbank Marina is an important project that my Government is committed to delivering for the Pilbara community, and the release of the concepts plans represents an important milestone.
"We will soon begin work on the detailed design phase to ensure the project delivers not just for boat users, but for the Hedland community as a whole.
"The project will inject economic activity into the region, creating local jobs in the local Port Hedland economy.
"The release of my Government's response to the dust report is an important step in our plans to secure the future of Hedland.
"I'm pleased we are now in a position to provide clarity the community needs, taking into account the health of residents as well as job-creating industries in the area."
As noted by Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan:
"We see a bright future for the West End as the buzzing commercial hub of Hedland, and our Government is taking decisive steps to achieve that outcome.
"Our Spoilbank Marina plan will provide the waterfront amenity that Port Hedland residents have so long aspired to, breathing new life into the West End.
"Our response to the dust issue ensures the health of local residents without putting at risk the industries that drive jobs for the region and the State.
"Today marks a real step forward for Hedland residents, businesses and particularly for the local boating community, realising a long-held dream for the town."
As noted by Pilbara MLA Kevin Michel:
"The development of the Spoilbank Marina and responding to the Hedland dust issue are important commitments to long-term sustainable growth in our Pilbara.
"For several years, Port Hedland residents have awaited the outcome of investigations into dust and the recommendations from the taskforce will provide more certainty for landowners into the future.
"The McGowan Labor Government is focused on decreasing dust exposure to Hedland residents, addressing a long-held concern of the Hedland community after eight years of no action from the Liberals and Nationals."
