City of Busselton councillors will decide on plans to have more al fresco dining options in Busselton’s town centre at next week’s council meeting.
City officers recently undertook public consultation on whether to replace parking bays on Queen Street with al fresco dining areas.
During the consultation period 72.1 per cent of 373 respondents indicated that al fresco was more important than parking on Queen Street.
In the report, city officers stated in order for Busselton to be a successful city centre it would need more cafes, restaurants, bars and other businesses which would offer entertainment and experiences.
“Unfortunately, due to the width and configuration of Queen Street, there is simply not enough space to have traffic lanes, sufficient footpath space, on street parking and al fresco,” officers said.
“One-way traffic could not address the issue on its own, at least some on street parking capacity would need to be lost.
“Converting Queen Street to a functioning one-way street, would also involve several million dollars worth of streetscape works.”
City officers have recommended that council support the removal of car parking on Queen Street to accommodate more al fresco space.
Their preferred form of al fresco dining would be decking placed over car bays or a custom designed structure with bollards separating the dining area from traffic.
Costs to setup an al fresco area would be paid for by the proponent with the land provided at no cost for two years, with a licence fee applied thereafter.
At Wednesday’s agenda briefing, councillor Paul Carter said he was concerned that land for al fresco space would be provided at no cost to businesses.
The city’s director of planning and development services Paul Needham said the two year grace period was to encourage businesses to invest in infrastructure for the dining space.
It was proposed if council approve the policy the city would undertake further consultation and extend the area for al fresco dining in the town centre further than Queen Street.
During the public access session Hillzeez owner Glenn Callegari raised concerns about the loss of car bays and that established businesses in the town centre were not operating all the time.
Mr Callegari said he needed businesses around him to be open longer, seven days a week, all year round which would provide more ambiance, vibrancy and draw people in.
He believed Mitchell Park was currently under utilsed and would be a better location for al fresco areas in Busselton’s town centre.
Councillor’s will vote on the policy at Wednesday’s council meeting during which time parties with an interest could present at council.
