VACANT sites at the ‘Holy Mile’ have sparked keen interest.
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Fifteen organisations applied for the three vacant sites and that number has been shortlisted to six.
They have been invited to submit detailed business proposals to the City of Busselton as part of phase two of the Expressions of Interest (EoI) process.
There are 16 sites at the Locke Estate and 13 have decided to renew their lease for 21 years.
All leases are due to expire on November 30, 2032.
Two of the three vacant leases became available when they were relinquished during the renewal stage, while the other had previously been vacated.
The six organisations that have been short listed are WorkPower, Fresh Start Recovery Program, Uniting Church/Scripture union, Curtin (University) Student Guild, Nurture Works BUZ and Regional Kids.
They were deemed the most competitive organisations against the selection criteria and have an eight week period to provide a more comprehensive submission and be invited to give a 10 minute presentation to the council on May 23.
After the phase two evaluation a second council report will be prepared with recommendations that will be considered on June 13, which will lead to the selection of the successful proponents with negotiations to be entered into to complete the leases at the earliest opportunity.
Locke Estate has been occupied by non-for-profit groups for around 50 years and the latest leases expired last November.
It has been a long process as the then shire started community and stakeholder consultation into the future use of Locke Estate in 2007.
New leases include a 50m coastal setback from the vegetation line and inclusion of a conservation area.
