Homewares hub gets council nod, against officer advice

Plans for a “homemaker centre” including a hardware store, fast food outlet, showrooms, car wash, service station and bulky goods retailers have passed a preliminary hurdle.

Broome councillors last week supported a proposal to use land on the corner of Cable Beach Road East and Gubinge Road for the commercial development.

The proposal, submitted by Nyamba Buru Yawuru presented, requested in-principle support from the Shire at its ordinary council meeting last week.

Councillors approved an amended motion 4-2, going against planning officer recommendations to reject the plans.

The lot was granted to NBY as part of the Yawuru Native Title Agreement in 2010.

Under the Local Planning Strategy, the land was earmarked for future use for residential development and for an education or health precinct.

In their recommendation to the council, planning officers said the proposal was inconsistent with the planning framework and objectives and was not deemed to be an extension of service commercial activity on Cable Beach Road East.

Their report said such a development would result in a “fragmented” pocket of retail development, remote of the existing commercial activity within the town.

They added that service commercial areas generated a big volume of retail and service-vehicle traffic and therefore it was undesirable to have this type of land use within proximity to residential areas due to potential conflicts with noise and traffic.

The officers also said the site was considered a more logical location for the extension of recreation or education uses to complement existing services along Cable Beach Road East, such as the Broome Recreation and Aquatic Centre, TAFE and the St John Ambulance sub centre.

Nymba Buru Yawuru chief executive Peter Yu welcomed the outcome of the meeting.

“NBY welcomes the decision by the Broome Shire Council to give its in-principle support for NBY’s application for zoning amendments to allow investment for the proposed Broome Homemaker Centre,” he said.

“Whilst recognising there is much work to be done on many fronts, this decision sends a powerful message to investors who have an interest in this and future developments in Broome,” he said.

Mr Yu said the Broome Homemaker Centre would help attract new investment in the Kimberley and assist in meeting local demand in Broome for businesses requiring showrooms and bulky good retail space as the town’s population grows.