Eyed for ritzy redevelopment in the boom, Port Hedland’s Cooke Point Rec Club is now a derelict asbestos wreck

Children breaking into a derelict Port Hedland sporting facility are exposing themselves to deadly asbestos fibres, prompting calls for tighter security around the former community facility. The Cooke Point Recreation Club was built in 1971 but has been abandoned since 2016, and now sits in a vandalised and severely damaged state. In February 2014, the North West Telegraph revealed plans to put a wrecking ball through the club and redevelop the site into a multimillion-dollar hotel, retail, leisure and apartment complex. The plans, put forward by Texas-based Australian property developer ASA Properties, never came to fruition. Linda Howard, whose first job as a 14-year-old was washing dishes and peeling vegetables at the club, said she was alarmed when she saw the state of her former workplace. “My concern was, and still is, with the obvious damage to the building and its age,” she said. “The structural integrity of the building cannot be guaranteed and could be a risk for young people either falling through something or something falling on them.” Ms Howard’s main concern was asbestos because of the building’s age. She said children entering the old club could be at risk. “If young people are pulling it apart and damaging it, they could well be unknowingly coming in contact with asbestos,” she said. “One fibre inhaled is all it takes for someone in years to come to contract mesothelioma cancer.” Ms Howard said the lack of structural integrity in the building would be a significant issue during cyclone season with houses nearby. The long-time Cooke Point resident expressed her concerns to the Port Hedland Council, requesting that a fence be installed around the building to stop anyone from entering. The Town said it had begun the process of issuing a building order against the landowner to shore up all building openings and fence it in. In regard to issues of asbestos, the Town stated the land was private property and it was the responsibility of the owner to comply with asbestos regulations. Port Hedland Mayor Peter Carter said the asbestos issue was manageable. Mr Carter said the state of the building was an eyesore but the Town was limited in what it could do. “All we can do is make sure the owner boards it up,” he said. “It’s private property so we can’t do anything about it. “It’s a great bit of land so it’s a shame what has happened to it.” In a letter to Ms Howard the TOPH said it could not they cannot undertake works on the property unless the building order was not complied with.