Shire of Exmouth Housing scheme amendment delayed until March council meeting

A plan by the Exmouth council to stop holiday homes from being permitted in a subdivision has been put off until the next meeting. At the February 24 meeting, Shire of Exmouth councillors had to remove a motion from the agenda because correspondence from the State Government had not been received in time. The motion would have seen the local government consider endorsing a scheme amendment that would stop holiday homes from being permitted at the Skipjack Circle subdivision. The subdivision, located off Murat Road, currently hosts about 100 lots, and a further 16 would have been added to the development as part of the motion. Shire of Exmouth president Darlene Allston said the local government was aware of the lack of available housing in the town, especially worker accommodation. “Land releases aren’t going to give us any immediate solutions, but it’s important for us to be able to advocate for those so that we can get them,” she said. She said the immediate impact of the worker accommodation shortage meant businesses would struggle to find and keep employees. “The side effect of that which no one wants to talk about is illegal camping,” she said. “Transitional workers and seasonal workers if they don’t necessarily have somewhere to stay, then the cost of caravan parks are a bit prohibitive if they’re working casually. “So obviously they will look for cheaper or no-cost alternatives.” Ms Allston said tourism and short-term holiday accommodation were not the housing shortage’s leading cause. “From the perspective of the shire, we’re looking at managing the properties,” she said. “People have to be registered to have a holiday home. The percentage of holiday homes in town is quite serviceable for the amount of tourists we have coming.”