A $3 million greening and amenity programme in the West End of Port Hedland will help improve the overall aesthetics and amenity of the area, with a focus on the central business district (CBD).

BHP together with the Town of Port Hedland are partnering with RFF to deliver the work. The initial phase of work will be delivered together with Tambinah a local Port Hedland Indigenous business.

BHP General Manager Port Operations, Nilson Davila said the programme reinforced BHP’s commitment to work with the community, government and other industry peers to improve the commercial and tourism vibrancy of Port Hedland’s West End.

“We are proud to be engaging local contractors, hiring local people and investing in projects that will grow the West End in line with the State Government’s West End Improvement Scheme,” he said.

The project also aligns with the removal of ten BHP owned properties as well as some vegetation on BHP properties, allowing the land to be re-purposed in the future.

BHP’s plans to invest up to A$300 million over the next five years to further improve air quality will include trialling new innovative approaches such as vegetation barriers.

“Research supports the use of vegetation to capture dust. BHP are exploring how to be more strategic with what types of plants we use, how and where they are planted, so they provide an air quality benefit as well as improving amenity.”

“BHP has worked collaboratively with industry, government and community for many years to manage dust in the Pilbara and for many of our employees this is not only a job requirement, it’s personal because their friends and family also live in the community.”