The Port Hedland Chamber of Commerce powers the WEB Business Hub (www.webbusinesshub.com.au) which provides flexible co working accommodation, and tailor-made innovation programs which support potential new and existing small businesses. The service-based programs focus on management, financial, training and technology support to enable businesses to develop and enhance their long-term sustainability. The Web has flexible workspaces for teams of all sizes and is the perfect space to grow a small business. 

 

The WEB Business Hub has been quite successful and sustains full occupancy throughout the year,  in 2020 the Port Hedland Chamber of Commerce endeavoured on an additional project titled ‘The Bungalow on Edgar’.  The Bungalow on Edgar mirrors the concept of the WEB Business Hub, however this space offers pop up retail space for micro and small retail businesses who were previously working/selling from home and unable to venture to their own commercial space due to restrictive commercial rents in Port & South Hedland.  This space is also at full capacity and there is an observed requirement to offer further support to the micro retail, small business, social enterprise and/or not-for-profit sectors in Port Hedland to ensure the continuity of a diversified and sustainable regional economy.

 

Currently there are a number of key barriers impeding the growth of the small business, not-for-profit and social enterprise sectors in Port Hedland including an undersupply of affordable land and accommodation, lack of fit-for-purpose infrastructure, lack of community and social services and inadequate town amenity.

 

Whilst small business already makes a vital contribution to the regional economy and to the well-being and liveability of local communities, a healthy, diverse and expanded micro retail,  small business, social enterprise &/or NFP sectors are critical to achieving long term viability for the region.

 

The Port Hedland Chamber of Commerce propose to address this issue by conducting a feasibility study to examine the development and growth issues impacting small business, NFP organisations and social enterprise in Port Hedland to identify supply chain gaps and barriers, linkages and growth opportunities for these sectors, and specifically what infrastructure solutions that could be built in Port Hedland’s West End CBD would address these barriers and opportunities