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TOWN OF
PORT HEDLAND
Land Use
Master Plan
Port Hedland
was established in the 1890s
to serve the pastoral industry
of the Pilbara region of Western
Australia. Seventy years later
it was transformed into the
gateway to iron ore and the
other mining exports of the
region, making it the busiest
port in Australia. The town's
development in converting a
pastoral service into a heavy
industrial port has been accompanied
by difficulties such as land
use conflicts, adverse environmental
impacts and significant demands
on an infrastructure that was
built for a different type and
scale of industry. Extensive
flood plains have also constrained
development throughout the area
and the town of Port Hedland
has grown in a physically fragmented
way. To ensure more cohesive
growth and sustainability of
the region, Port Hedland needs
to develop a long term strategy
for improving the quality of
life of existing residents and
attracting and retaining more
skilled workers in order to
promote additional growth and
economic diversification.
The Department
for Planning and Infrastructure
undertook initial steps for
such a planning process in 2004
through an Inquiry By Design
workshop, which, by engaging
150 community members and 30
technical experts in the discussion
and sharing of ideas, established
a basic framework of goals and
development principals for the
future of the four sections
of the town: the Town Centre,
Cooke Point/Pretty Pool, South
Hedland and Wedgefield. The
UDC has now been engaged to
build on the conclusions of
this workshop to produce a Land
Use Master Plan, providing greater
detail as to the proposed form
and design character of future
development and guidelines for
the implementation of initial
projects.
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