An exciting, high-quality building has been proposed for Dunn Bay Road in Dunsborough with a development application being submitted to the City of Busselton.
The application is for a multi-purpose five storey building which includes space for hospitality businesses, a car park, office space, a balcony with coastal views, short stay accommodation and residential units.
The site is currently zoned business with an R-AC3 density coding, pursuant to the the City of Busselton's Local Planning Scheme No. 21 and is 1750 square metres in size.
It is located on the corner of Dunn Bay Road, Seymour Boulevard and Chieftain Crescent opposite the Dunsborough Park Shopping Centre, which was previously earmarked for a sea-container market.
The building's designer Dane Richardson, from Dunsborough, said the concept was to construct a building which would show the potential of what Dunn Bay Road could become.
Mr Richardson said Dunsborough was lucky to get someone who wanted to take on the project because he did not know any other developer who would contemplate this.
"Dunsborough could not be in a better position to get someone who would want to build such a high-quality building," he said.
"An interesting thing is that it just fits into the town planning scheme exactly, when I presented the design to the City, they said it was exactly what they wanted.
"If we get a good example of that, the town will be developed to a high quality, but if we get a bad example of what is compliant, the community would probably shut it down.
"It would be a big concrete tilt panel on the corner that no-one liked.
"If we do not help Dunsborough change in a really nice way then we will have to stand around in 20 years and accept that we were responsible for a whole bunch of cheap crappy buildings.
"I hope people will see the integrity of what is being built here, if the town is zoned and ready and the city wants this type of vision we can start with a really good building.
"We are flying the flag and the next developer who starts up the road can point over there, it sets the benchmark."
Mr Richardson envisages the building would help activate the entrance into Dunsborough with people flowing onto the shopping area on the opposite side of Seymour Boulevard.
"Locals and tourists are craving for outdoor activated areas. When people arrive into town they will think it looks cool and people will spill out onto the street, people will be on balconies.
"Having accommodation on the top floors is logical because the views will be insane and the more accommodation we get in the centre of town will ultimately be better.
"It is a great project but I know it will be challenging for a lot of people."
Mr Richardson said he normally would not take on commercial work because it was driven by quick results often without good results.
"You can get good results, but when someone tells you it is their building, no-one else would be interfering, there was no time agenda or pressure from outside sources, you think wow this is interesting.
"This project has a full local team from lead design, detailed design, engineering, planning, landscape and ultimately the builder and all trades will likely be local."
LB Planning director Stan Lawrence-Brown said the proposal strived to achieve a building that would activate and enhance a parcel of land in the town centre which had been under-utilised for years.
Mr Lawrence-Brown said the use of use of external stone and timber like building materials, coupled with its design features and soft curves, would provide an aesthetically pleasing and eye catching building.
"There is a vision and changes have already been made to the zoning along Dunn Bay Road, the community are all waiting to see what someone would do," he said.
"No-one wants to take the first jump, and the owners are doing that, which is really good because it hopefully inspires people to see how it would actually work.
"The building will provide human interaction, there will not be lifelessness which you get out of some buildings.
"People struggle with seeing the town grow, while people want it they are apprehensive, the planning vision is zoned for something like this, something will happen regardless."
City of Busselton development services manager Lee Reddell said the city was currently considering the development application.
Ms Reddell said the recent and upcoming changes to the City's Local Planning Scheme sought to encourage mixed-use, medium density development within the Dunsborough town centre that was vibrant and diverse.
"The application is currently on public advertising and can be viewed on the City's online engagement portal, "Your Say Busselton" accessed via its website," she said.
"Submissions on the proposal can be made via "Your Say Busselton" up to Wednesday, May 1, 2019."
