Shire of Derby-West Kimberley to introduce boat, trailer parking fees at Derby port

A licence will soon be required to park larger boats or trailers at the Derby Port under a motion passed by the local government at a recent council meeting.

Unanimously supported at the February 24 council meeting, users will be charged an annual fee of $555 to attain a licence, expected to generate between $3000 and $10,000 annually for the Shire of Derby-West Kimberley.

The proposed licences are predominantly for boat and trailer storage purposes but will also allow licence holders to undertake minor maintenance on the site.

To make the area viable for parking boat trailers and for performing maintenance the shire will spend up to $10,000 to prepare the site.

Derby-West Kimberley Shire president Geoff Haerewa said the shire wanted to give boat owners a dedicated space to help protect the surrounding area and reduce the impact on the environment.

“What we’re trying to do is tidy up around the port area to make it more manageable particularly where we have bigger boats doing maintenance in the carpark,” he said.

“We also want to dispose of a lot of the stuff that’s just been left there and go through that process.”

Cr Haerewa said small recreational boaters would not need to obtain a licence.