Businesses highlight worker housing fears in recent meeting

Exmouth’s zoning laws need an overhaul and a workers camp needs to be built to address the town’s crippling staff accommodation shortage, a recent forum has been told. About 50 businesses attended a meeting hosted by Member for North West Central Vince Catania last month to have their say on the issue. In the short term, Mr Catania said there needed to be changes in zoning laws to allow accommodation to be put in light industrial and tourism-zoned areas to help immediately relieve pressure. Another suggestion was to construct temporary worker accommodation villages, similar to mining camps that exist across the Pilbara. “That is going to take time but this is where we need the State Government to supply the land and supply the services to the land to allow a private developer to build a worker’s camp,” he said. Mr Catania said to address the issue long term, there needed to be further release of land. A State Government spokesperson said the State Government was working with the Shire of Exmouth to identify land suitable for workers accommodation. “Depending on the solution identified, an amendment to the local planning scheme and a lease under the Land Administration Act 1997 may be required,” they said. “Discussions are also under way with the Native Title holders, the Nganhurra Thanardi Garrbu Aboriginal Corporation, on residential development strategies for land between Learmonth Street and Sargent Street, and at the planned Nimitz Estate with more than 400 residential lots planned to meet growing demand in Exmouth.” Development WA has a 17.9ha superlot development opportunity at the marina available via expression of interest, which closes tomorrow. The spokesperson said development of this lot was expected to include new worker accommodation and said there were about 27 vacant residential lots and 34 homes advertised for sale in Exmouth. Exmouth Cape Real Estate licensee Brendon Nowotny told Pilbara News last month he had a waitlist of more than 40 rental applicants. Exmouth Chamber of Commerce and Industry president David Gillespie described the situation as dire and said businesses were at risk of closing if they could not house staff.