Planning Our Town Centres

Our vision is for town centres that are vibrant, attractive, and sustainable.

We want to create places that you can relate to and where you will feel at home – places where you can shop, socialise, play and relax.

Do you have any other ideas or a question relating to the planning of our Town Centres? Please contact our Strategic Planning Team on (08) 9781 1731.

What are the main town centres in the Busselton district?

• Busselton City Centre is the major retail, commercial and cultural heart of Busselton.  This is where you’ll find plenty of shops, restaurants, cafes and bars. There are also government, professional and health services, as well as the cultural precinct, foreshore and lots of entertainment options.
• Dunsborough Town Centre is the largest retail and commercial centre in the western side of the district. Here you’ll find many shops, restaurants, cafes, bars, professional and health services and entertainment options. 
• Vasse Village is a neighbourhood centre with a supermarket and a small range of shops, restaurants, bars and health/professional services. 

Why are town centres so important? 

Our town centres are vital for a whole range of reasons:

• Retail and commercial centre for locals and visitors;
• Social and cultural heart for locals and visitors;
• Business and employment opportunities for economic growth and prosperity;
• Apartments for ‘inner city’ living;
• Government, professional and health services for our locals;
• Public transport to and from other town centres.

What are we doing to improve our town centres?

So many things!

The City is drafting a Precinct Structure Plan (PSP) for Busselton City Centre; and has completed a PSP for Dunsborough Town Centre. These plans will give the Council and the community an opportunity to think about:

• Land uses within each centre, including future retail needs and more opportunity for ‘inner-city living’;
• The design of buildings, including factors such as height, disability access, attractive shop windows, awnings for weather protection, and the location of parking;
• Ways to make our streets easier and more enjoyable to move through;
• Parking for today and the future, while also encouraging ‘wallets past shop windows’;
• Making sure that our parks and other public spaces are the best possible spaces to ‘socialise, play and relax’.

View our Busselton and Dunsborough Precinct Structure Plans page for more information on the steps needed to prepare the PSPs, and for copies of technical studies that will help to draft them.

The City is also enhancing our town centres through:

• Providing a home for buskers and markets in public spaces to create a relaxed ‘weekend vibe’;
• Looking at street art opportunities and proposals;
• Providing grants for local business proposals to improve shop fronts and increase alfresco dining;
• Providing funding for town team 'activation' initiatives;
• Improving safety through CCTV and working on reducing crime.

How is the City partnering with the community?

• Town Team Movements are popping up all over Australia, with an aim to bring vibrancy to our main streets and town centres.  The City is proud to provide support to the Dunsborough Progress Association and the Building Busselton Town Team, e.g. through -
  • Hosting experts who specialise in turning ‘spaces into places’, such as David Engwicht, David Snyder and Len Kosova;
  • Providing funding for town team ‘activation’ initiatives.
• Ongoing consultation with the Busselton and Dunsborough communities to develop the PSPs.

Related Information

Busselton City Centre Conceptual Plan (2014)

Dunsborough Town Centre Conceptual Plan (2014)

Busselton and Dunsborough Precinct Structure Plans 

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