Darkan Hotel shovel-ready accommodation delayed up to six months due to State-level processing backlog

New accommodation at a community-owned Wheatbelt pub has come to a standstill as a State processing backlog prevents the shovel-ready modular units from being used.

The Darkan Hotel, which officially re-opened its doors in September 2024 following a community restoration project, is now facing accommodation delays reaching up to six months.

Supported by a Regional Economic Development Grant, the 11 ensuite queen-sized rooms have already been locally approved, purchased, and installed on February 4, addressing visitor accommodation shortages and business and event support.

Despite this, a State-level processing pile up deferring the approval of the onsite sewage (septic) application lodged on December 3 has halted any further operation.

The Department of Health advised the hotel board that the application will not be assessed for at least another 30 days, pushing the time frame four months out since the original lodgment and expected overall process nearly half a year.

The hotel’s building permit cannot be accepted until the septic approval has been issued.

Shire of West Arthur chief executive Vin Fordham Lamont has called for urgent action regarding “unacceptable approval delays” within State Government agencies that have stalled crucial regional developments.

Mr Fordham Lamont said the delay was not only “undermining local economic growth”, but causing immediate financial and operational harm.

He said regional projects should not be placed at risk by administrative backlog.

“These are already-funded, locally approved modular units ready to deliver much-needed visitor accommodation,” he said.

“Instead, they are sitting empty while the community hotel pays interest on loans, risks missing grant milestones, and loses access to trades who have had to take other work.”

Mr Fordham Lamont said a more responsive, risk-based approach is needed, particularly for small, low-risk developments, by enabling assessment pathways that reflect regional capacity and urgency.

The shire are advocating for clear and enforceable processing timeframes for onsite sewerage approvals, formal escalation pathways when timeframes cannot be met, and adequate funding of government agencies involved in assessing applications.

Mr Fordham Lamont said the approval delay was more than an administrative inconvenience, it directly undermined regional development outcomes and discouraged future investment.

“Visitor accommodation is critical infrastructure for regional communities — it supports local events, agriculture-related travel, tourism and workforce mobility,” he said.

“Delays that prevent approved projects from proceeding also threaten grant compliance, construction scheduling and local employment opportunities.”