AGENDA - Shire of Roebourne

Ordinary Council Meeting – Agenda 19 October 2009
12.1.2 Draft Karratha Open Space Strategy
File No: TA/4/1
Attachment(s) Draft KOSS to be tabled
Responsible Officer: Acting Executive Manager Development Services
Author Name: Acting Executive Manager Development Services
Disclosure of Interest: Nil
REPORT PURPOSE
To seek Council‘s consent to exhibit the draft Karratha Open Space Strategy (the strategy)
for public comment.
Background
The Minister for Planning deferred the final approval of the Shire of Roebourne Town
Planning Scheme No. 8 Amendment No. 9 that facilitated infill residential subdivision in
Teesdale Place, Millars Well and Clarkson Way, Bulgarra until a public open space and
drainage reserve strategy for Karratha had been completed.
A draft public open space and drainage reserve strategy for Karratha was subsequently
produced with the assistance of the Department of Planning and Infrastructure regional
planners. The strategy is acknowledged in the Karratha 2020 Vision and Community Plan
2009 and provides a framework for the provision of public open space and to assist Council
rationalise its open space system within the context of overall need, function and operation.
The strategy essentially justified that Karratha has the capacity to accommodate the
creation of new lots for both community and residential purposes, and has the potential to
allow for the expansion of existing commercial lots in the town centre through the
rationalisation of existing parks, recreation and drainage reserves.
There are a growing number of requests from private land owners wishing to extend their
properties into abutting reserves. The administration of such requests without clear
strategic direction can reasonably be construed as being ad hoc, and has the potential to
consume an inordinate amount of human resources.
Issues
Community Benefit
It has been a long held belief that parks, recreation and drainage reserves within Karratha
have been poorly maintained and do not provide any significant recreational or ecological
benefit. Responses to the recently conducted community survey reiterate that the amenity
of Shire‘s maintained green spaces needs to be improved. The opportunity cost of
maintaining substantive areas of open space above and beyond that reasonably required
needs to be considered.
Page 83