In The News: New resort planned for Karratha

KARRATHA’S property boom is set to go to another level with a nine-storey apartment block and a new resort proposed for the booming north-west town. Sydney property developer, Vicom, is understood to bebehind the high-rise building planned for the town centre, which is understood to include some commercial space and a restaurant. The project is going out for public comment. Also on the drawing board is a $100 million, 150-apartment resort complex, thought to be the brainchild of those behind the property development group Rapley Wilkinson, to provide temporary accommodation for the area. The project, called The Ranges, has development approval. Osborne Park-based Rapley Wilkinson is one of Western Australia’s most successful resort development groups, with projects including the Footprints resort developments at Preston Beach and Binningup, as well as the $18 million Frangipani resort in Broome. Footprints Binningup is a $30 million development. The company also has a $24 million housing project at Karratha, one of the state’s hotspots in terms of housing shortages. Meanwhile, three new land development opportunities were announced for Port Hedland as part of the state government’s accelerated land release program in the Pilbara Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan announced that planning and environmental approvals had now been obtained for the next stage of the Pretty Pool residential estate.