Calls for greater investment in South Hedland as council is split on the Koombana lookout refurbishment

Council was this week split on whether to endorse the design for Port Hedland’s Koombana lookout refurbishment with some councillors questioning if the funds would be better used on open spaces in South Hedland. As part of its capital works program, the Town had approved a budget of $1.3 million for the Koombana lookout refurbishment and landscaping. At Wednesday’s (June 28) council meeting some councilors questioned whether the Lookout refurbishment was the best use of Town funds. Cr Ash Christensen said he thought the Lookout was fine in its current state and more attention should be given to open spaces in South Hedland. “As long as it’s usable and does what it needs to do it doesn’t need to be award-winning,” he said. Cr Christensen said Town documentation showed that Port Hedland’s population could double and it still would have too much public open space. He said while many people had put a lot of effort into the refurbishment design, South Hedland did not have enough public open spaces and this disparity needed to be addressed. Cr Jan Gillingham was in favour of the refurbishment and said she did not agree with viewing the Town as two separate places. “I’d like to see Port and South Hedland just be called Port Hedland,” she said. “We are one town.” Cr Gillingham, along with Deputy Mayor Tim Turner, said the refurbishment needed to go ahead and should not be delayed like other Town projects. “Council finds itself in a cycle of stalling projects, stopping projects, restarting projects,” he said. The proposed refurbishment of the Lookout includes a bigger shaded area, more seating and greater access to the site. Despite the concerns of Cr David Eckhart and Cr Christensen, the council endorsed the detailed design of the lookout. Mayor Peter Carter said that given the importance of the site to the town’s tourism industry and the public’s support, the refurbishment was an important project for Port Hedland. “Attracting tourists to Hedland is an important part of the Town’s vision to diversify our economy,” he said. “We need to ensure we have quality facilities that will be a drawcard to our region. “The Town has listened to the community, with feedback overwhelmingly in favour of more shade, seating and better access.”