Shire of Roebourne Local Planning Strategy

Shire of Roebourne Local Planning StrategyTechnical Report A1: Economic Development Strategy1 Introduction1.1 This paperThis Technical report 1: Economic Development Strategy is a preliminary paper in a suite of five reportsto inform the preparation of the Local Planning Strategy (LPS) for the Shire of Roebourne. There isplanned to be a series of consultations and further information gathering through the course of theformulation of the LPS.The Economic Development Strategy, as a component of the LPS and as a Strategy in its own right, willbe refined and finalised in the course of this process.The scope for the five technical reports was identified through an Information Gap Analysis prepared byMike Allen Planning in June 2012. This means that the Technical Reports do not comprehensivelyaddress all of the issues that will affect the Shire’s future; instead they are designed to complement thewide body of research and planning that has already been undertaken.1.2 History and overviewThe Shire of Roebourne is located in the Pilbara region of northern Western Australia, about 1,200kilometres north of Perth. The Shire of Roebourne is bounded by the Indian Ocean in the north and west,the Town of Port Hedland in the east, and the Shire of Ashburton in the south.The original inhabitants of the Roebourne area were the Ngaluma and Yindibarndi Aboriginal people.European settlement dates from the 1860s, with land used mainly for pastoral purposes (sheep grazing).Some growth took place in the late 1800s and early 1900s, particularly in Cossack and Point Samson.The population then declined. Significant development did not occur until the late 1960s when iron oredeposits and offshore natural gas fields were discovered. The townships of Dampier, Karratha andWickham were established to house mining and transport workers, with Dampier established as a port.Growth took place from the 1970s, with the population of the Shire increasing from about 10,000 in 1971to 17,000 in 1991. This growth was driven by the North-West Shelf Gas joint venture, with Karrathafunctioning as a service centre for on and off-shore oil and gas facilities. The population declined slightlyduring the early 1990s, falling to about 15,000 in 1996. From the late 1990s the population increasedsubstantially, rising to about 19,000 in 2006. By 2011 the resident population of the Shire had grown to23,900. Population growth is expected to continue, particularly in and around Karratha, largely a resultof investment in new mining operations and continued global demand for iron ore and natural gas.The Shire of Roebourne encompasses a total land area of over 15,000 square kilometres. The Shire ispredominantly rural, with growing population centres in the township of Karratha and the smallertownships of Dampier, Roebourne and Wickham/Point Samson. The main industries in the Shire aremining (iron ore and gas extraction), salt production, and cattle and sheep grazing, with some fishing andtourism. The key employment sectors are currently mining and construction, and to a lesser extent, retail,transport, education, tourism and property and business services. The major industrial areas are theDampier and Cape Lambert Ports, with an industrial estate to the south of Karratha. The Shire's mainretail area is the Karratha CBD, with a smaller centre at Wickham. Roebourne features one tertiaryinstitution (Pilbara Institute) and a number of primary and secondary schools.6