Quarter century of mishandled, missed opportunities


LOCAL council has walked away. The State Government moves in as ‘absent landlord’. And private landowners once again find themselves between a rock and a hard place. Do they sell out or hang on in the hope they be able, one day, to develop their empty blocks for which they have paid rates for decades?
The remaining owners who spoke to StreetWise this week say local and state authorities have mismanaged the historic town since 1996 when responsibility for maintaining Cossack and Jarman Island lighthouse was handed over to the Shire of Roebourne (now City of Karratha) until 2017. Have you seen Jarman Island lately?
Freehold landowners were approached at the time to ‘surrender’ their blocks in the 36ha ‘Cossack Precinct’ entered in the State Register of Heritage Places in 1992. In 1993, the Department of Land Administration wrote to the owners of lot 101, the best of the elevated lots on Perseverance Street: “Your advice as to whether you would be prepared to surrender this lot to the Crown to allow its reservation is now sought. This Office is not in a position to offer compensation however a plaquing system has been mooted to provide recognition of contribution/support of the Project.”
Landowners rejected the offer.
In 2001, Roebourne CEO Trevor Ruland said: “We have said to the Government we are prepared to put in $1.3 million because the figures say that we need $3.9 million to get it to the situation where the town can have a life all of its own.”
By April 21, 2005, Cossack’s $4 million ‘reactivation’ was dead in the water, shire president Dani Nazzari questioning whether re-establishing the town was the best option.
North West Coastal MLA Fred Riebeling wrote to the Heritage Council: “I was involved in securing a $1.3 million grant from the State Government with $1.3 million from the Shire of Roebourne and a further $1.3 million was to come from the Commonwealth Government. As per normal the Commonwealth funding did not arrive. This money was to be used to, ‘allow the town to again have residential homes built’ … I am now advised that it is not possible to build on the blocks nor is it possible to sell the blocks.”
Mr Riebeling said all levels of government had let down landowners at Cossack.
The essential infrastructure, electrical cabling and water pipes, vital to kickstarting a small coastal community, boosting business, tourism and local jobs, were left to rot in the council depot while Jarman Island was left to vandals, the damaged lighthouse a shadow of its former brilliance.

Disconnected

Karratha council returned $934,997 of the State’s $1.3 million in 2011, shire president Nicole Lockwood telling landowners: “Electrical cabling was purchased a number of years ago by the Shire to connect Cossack into the power supply network. However, funding to install the cabling itself did not eventuate.”
Of the 22 reels, 13 were used at Karratha airport. The rest were in poor condition and sold, “whilst it still attracts a fair value”. The vital infrastructure needed at Cossack was gone, scrap sold for gold.
In December 2011, Planning Department director-general Eric Lumsden wrote to landowners stating the Government was not prepared to provide services to Cossack and any residential development needed to supply its own water, energy and wastewater facilities.
In August last year, the State Government rejected a City of Karratha proposal to amend the town planning scheme to allow small-scale developments such as tent and glamping sites at Cossack. Given the State’s decision, the City in March this year voted not to extend the management lease which expires on June 30.
Council’s decision prompted private landowners to ask WA Parliament where they stood now that council had walked away from Cossack’s management. Before the council vote, Transport and Planning Minister principal policy adviser David McFerran told StreetWise that WAPC had advised the City there were areas within Cossack that should be further investigated for potential low-impact tourism through a future scheme amendment proposal.
Round and round we go.