Council Votes To Vacate Cossack
THE City of Karratha will walk away from managing historic Cossack and Jarman Island after councillors tonight voted to ‘hand the keys back’ to the State Government. The unanimous vote followed a brief discussion on whether the City was prepared to extend the existing three-year lease beyond June 30 this year while approving membership of an environment and sustainability advisory group to replace the tourism advisory group that contributed to the City’s tourism strategy.
Cr Daniel Scott said the City had dealt with ‘this issue’ for a long time, but it could not agree with the State on the future of the historic town site 1500km north of Perth: “I think this is the best option. If they can get an individual or entity or someone else involved, and we are the facilitator to help makes things happen. That puts us, that puts Cossack, in a better position moving forward but at the moment it’s a stalemate and no-one is getting any outcomes.”
He added the City was not walking away from Cossack. Management of Cossack is now the responsibility of the State Government, council resolving to ask for a financial contribution to ensure continued use of the site for events such as the Cossack art awards in July and August. Mayor Peter Long asked whether the State Government will be reasonable in access fees it charges from June 30. Unknown.
As reported by StreetWise Media, the town site includes lots owned by descendants of the first European settlers in the Pilbara. Last week, the families of seven freehold owners asked WA Parliament to resolve the decades-old land tenure issue. Though owners, many old an dying, pay annual rates, fees and charges, the council stated, “It is not possible to approve any new development or land uses at Cossack until the provision that requires full urban servicing is either deleted or amended”.
The decision to handball management back to the State follows, “the City’s best efforts to introduce an appropriate planning framework to enable delivery of Council’s vision for Cossack”.
The Government last year rejected the City’s Scheme Amendment No. 44 to allow small-scale temporary sites to be established at the already popular tourist destination. It costs the City more than $200,000 a year to run the heritage-listed precinct, even with a $120,000 a year contribution from the State. Since 2017, when the 21-year lease with the State expired, the City extended the lease for another three years to allow time to put in place its vision while outsourcing the management of Cossack to Ngarluma Yindjibarndi Foundation Ltd.
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