4.2 Activity centre hierarchy Activity centres are hubs that attract people for a variety of activities, such as shopping, working, recreation/lifestyle and living. These areas consist of a concentration of commercial uses, combined with a varying proportion of other land uses. The role and function of centres, and the diversity of activities within them will vary depending on their catchment; however, in general activity centres will: provide services, employment and activities that are appropriate for and accessible to the communities they support; be integrated with and encourage the efficient operation of the transport network, with particular emphasis on promoting public transport, walking and cycling and reducing the number and length of car trips and increasing opportunities for incidental physical activity; be designed based on transit-oriented development principles; provide opportunities as places to live through higher density housing and the development of social and cultural networks; encourage the agglomeration of economic activity and cultivation of business synergies; and support the development of local identity and sense of place including the provision of quality multifunctional open space. The Greater Bunbury sub-region has been determined largely by previous planning and development. The original patterns of growth for the Greater Bunbury sub-region have relied on maintaining the primacy of the CBD of Bunbury with the only other major activity centres being the townsites of Collie and. The other townsites such as, Brunswick Junction and Boyanup have primarily served as service centres for their adjoining farming communities and provided very little in the way of services, facilities or employment opportunities for the local population. To achieve the connected city scenario the Greater Bunbury Strategy proposes that new growth occur in a more balanced way around a diverse activity centres network, linked by a robust movement network and where possible, supported by a green network of parks, conservation and biodiversity areas. main street Parks Centre, Bunbury A number of existing activity centres have been designed for retail and private car use. This Strategy encourages a diversity of uses to be incorporated into activity centres Homemake Centre, Bunbury Public transport interchanges need to be incorporated into activity centres in an attractive pedestrian-friendly design Commercial and light industrial buildings can do simple things to make their business more sustainable. Their large roof spans can collect rainwater and solar panels on the roof can generate energy for use on site Marlston Hill, Bunbury Bunbury CBD Bunbury Forum, Bunbury 40
Table 9: activity centres hierarchy extract from the Activity Centres for Greater Bunbury Policy Activity centre hierarchy, functions, typical characteristics and performance targets NB: This Activity Centre Hierarchy and Diversity Performance Target mix of land uses table will be considered as a part of the Activity Centres for Greater Bunbury Policy which is subject to a separate consultation process. The end result will be published in the final Greater Bunbury Strategy. City centre Strategic regional centres Neighbourhood centres Special centres Town centres Hierarchy of activity centres 1 2 3 N/A N/A Main role/function The city centre is the largest of the activity centres, providing the most intensely concentrated development in the Greater Bunbury sub-region. It has the greatest range of high order services and jobs and the largest commercial component of any activity centre in the Greater Bunbury subregion. Name of activity centres Bunbury Central Business District. Bunbury Forum Dalyellup* East of Eaton* Eaton Fair Parks Centre Treendale* Transport connectivity and accessibility Typical retail types Typical office development Entertainment Dwelling density per hectare Focus of regional road and rail infrastructure as well as radial bus network. Any Department stores Discount department stores Specialty shops Personal services Major offices Commonwealth and state government agencies Major institutional uses such as courts and local government office Regional convention centre/ theatre Exhibition centre (gallery, museum) Restaurants Cinema Wide range of arts, cultural and entertainment facilities Density development desirable in appropriate locations. Strategic Regional Centres share similar characteristics with the city centre but serve smaller sub-regional catchments and offer a more limited range of services, facilities and employment opportunities. They perform an important role in the Greater Bunbury sub-region s economy, and provide essential services to their regional catchments. Important focus for passenger rail and direct connection and/or high frequency bus network. Discount department stores Speciality shops Small/medium scale comparison shopping Personal services Offices Professional and service businesses District level office development Local professional services Smaller scale restaurant and tavern Cinema Neighbourhood centres provide for daily and weekly household shopping needs, community facilities and a small range of other convenience services. Australind Bunbury City Plaza Glen Iris Kingston Minninup Forum Stopping/transfer point for bus network. Personal services Local professional services Small scale eating house/cafe and tavern Special centres provide convenience and specialised services for the Greater Bunbury sub-region. Bunbury Regional and St John of God Hospitals, Edith Cowan University and South West Institute of Technology. Stopping/transfer point for bus network. Smaller scale banks Speciality shops (i.e. specific to the centre) Professional services related to the centre (i.e. health and education specific) Small scale eating house/cafe and tavern Town centres are the main country activity centres. They are multipurpose centres that provide a diversity of uses. These centres provide the full range of economic and community services necessary for the communities in their catchments. Dardanup Burekup Boyanup Brunswick Roelands Focal point for bus network and potential future rail. Speciality shops Banks State government agencies where funding warrants Local government offices Local professional services Smaller scale arts, cultural and entertainment facilities Smaller scale eating house/cafe and tavern Minimum 30 Minimum 25 N/A N/A * Proposed future activity centre 41
Table 10: Diversity performance target - Mix of land uses Centre size - Shop-retail Mix of land uses floorspace as a proportion of the centre s total floor space 2 City, Special and Town centres Strategic Regional and Neighbourhood centres N/A More than 15,000m 2 30% 10,000m 2 to 15,000m 2 20% 5,000m 2 to 10,000m 2 15% Less than 5000m 2 4.2.1 Bunbury Central Business District The Bunbury CBD contains some residential dwellings, some mult-istorey commercial and mixed-use buildings, a significant proportion of single storey commercial floor space, and a portion of attractive heritage buildings. This area has historically evolved as the CBD and is a relatively attractive area, bound on two sides by water, it has some higher areas of topography which offers views, areas of public opens space, and heritage buildings which add to the character of the area. To meet the future needs of the population and to maintain the supremacy of the CBD for the South West Region, commercial floor space will need to be increased to remain viable against other activity centres. There are a number of strengths, weaknesses and opportunities regarding the CBD s current location. Strengths Attractive water side location including the ocean and estuary. Undulating topography offering relief and views. Existing heritage buildings and attractive streetscapes such as Victoria Street. Existing social infrastructure such as churches, high school, art gallery. Existing public transport hub/interchange. Existing grouping of employment opportunities. Existing access to retail, commercial, recreational and community services. N/A Weaknesses Flood risk from sea level rise, storm surge, fluvial flooding, drainage and climate change, and the impact that an event may have on the economy of the Greater Bunbury subregion. Unmaintained heritage buildings. Car parking. Poor integration of public transport. Car dominated. Victoria Street, Bunbury circa 1963 Photo courtesy of Bunbury Historical Society Vehicle pinch points, particularly from the north of the city at Eelup Roundabout and Estuary Drive. Victoria Street, Bunbury 2011 Photo courtesy of Diane Simpson and the City of Bunbury Parking meters are a tool to manage congestion in the CBD 42
Opportunities Increase the number of people residing within the CBD to add to the vibrancy of the streetscape, and increase the proportion of people who can walk and cycle to their place of work and the majority of services. Increase the amount of commercial floor space within the CBD by having more multistorey buildings. Consolidate car parking into a more efficient use of space. Integrate public transport into an attractive and accessible streetscape. Incorporate sustainable urban drainage into an attractive streetscape such as through multi-functional retention basins within public open space for floodwater storage. This Greater Bunbury Strategy advocates that the CBD is maintained in its current location rather than be shifted inland as has been suggested. Flood risk poses a significant threat to the sustainability of the CBD. It is recommended that a Masterplan be prepared for the Bunbury CBD that investigates and addresses issues such as flooding, car parking, public open space, ways to increase the number of people residing within the CBD, ways to increase commercial floor space and attractively and equitably integrate public transport into the streetscape. Quality public open space in the Bunbury CBD The new Catholic Cathedral is an important landmark and feature of the CBD Apartments in the Bunbury CBD Water sensitive design incorporated into street drainage outside Bunbury Council office Photo courtesy of Diane Simpson and the City of Bunbury Quality public transport options are an essential requirement for the CBD to function effectively High density residential development within walking distance of the CBD and entertainment areas 43
44 GEOCENTRIC DATUM OF AUSTRALIA Busselton Peppermint Grove Beach North Australind Leschenault Estuary Kemerton Picton Eaton Fair Boyanup Dardanup Roelands Brunswick Junction DonnybrookBalingup Waterloo Road Burekup Waterloo Treendale Australind Kingston SWIT / Edith Cowan / Hospital Halifax Bunbury Forum Glen Iris Preston Bunbury Dalyellup Parks Centre Minninup Forum Bunbury City Plaza Bunbury City Centre INDIAN OCEAN Binningup Myalup Lake Preston Yarloop 1 2 N 3 kilometres 4 5 Copyright May 2011 F:\dgn\bun-well\greater bunbury strategy\activity centres.dgn Base information supplied by: Western Australian Land Information Authority LI430-2009-4 Dam Waroona Produced by: Cartographic Section South West Planning Branch Department of Planning Produced on behalf of: Western Australian Planning Commission 0 Dardanup Brunswick Junction Figure 10: Existing Greater Bunbury activity centres and employment lands Collie Stirling Dam future industrial centre existing industrial centre strategic centre Industrial Centres - Hierarchy special centre town centre neighbourhood centre (approx. size 6,000m 2 ) strategic regional centre (approx. size 26,000m 2 ) city centre Activity Centres - Hierarchy local government boundary Legend Wellington Dam Logue Brook Dam Greater Bunbury Strategy
4.2.2 Employment lands Employment lands are those dedicated to the creation of jobs close to where people live and include land zoned for heavy, general and light industrial uses, commercial and retail, tourism, entertainment, hospitality, bulky goods, and home-based business. Their uses range from typical light and heavy industrial purposes to warehousing, distribution centres and manufacturing, to business parks and research facilities. The success of employment land development, particularly for general and heavy industry depends on efficient land release processes, location, the delivery of essential infrastructure, and access to transport, including road and freight networks and in the case of Bunbury the Bunbury Port facilities. The identification of land for commercial and retail, tourism, entertainment hospitality, and bulky goods for the most part needs to be addressed through local government local planning strategies and commercial strategies. The Department of Planning in conjunction with LandCorp, South West Development Commission and the Department of Agriculture and Food is currently undertaking the South West Region Industrial Land Study to identify the types of potential industries that will locate here and the land requirements for this development. The findings of the study will be included in the final strategy and form the basis of future amendments to the Greater Bunbury Region Scheme. The Department of Planning has also prepared employment lands guidelines to support the Greater Bunbury Strategy (Appendix 2) and assist the Western Australian Planning Commission and the region s councils These findings are to: promote the orderly planning and development of employment land in the region, particularly in the preparation of strategic plans, local planning strategies and eventually subdivision; monitor the supply of employment lands, and their appropriate location and zoning, through the continued update of the Greater Bunbury Strategy; and establish greater certainty and confidence for private sector investment and the community in general. 4.2.3 Strategic industrial centres The Greater Bunbury Strategy recognises that not all industry is the same and has identified a hierarchy of industrial centres. Strategic industrial centres provide for the highest level of industrial activity throughout the Greater Bunbury sub-region, with a focus on heavy and general industry and overseas export. The three strategic industrial centres are Kemerton Industrial Park, Preston Industrial Park and North. Areas within Preston Industrial Park will become increasingly more important in their roles as import and distribution networks within the region and connecting with Perth. A critical focus of Greater Bunbury Strategy is to ensure that these centres are well-serviced by road and rail transport infrastructure and appropriately located intermodal facilities, and that these centres are accessible to a skilled workforce. Two other areas that have a significant impact on the Greater Bunbury sub-region, but are not located here are the Worsley Alumina Refinery and the Shotts Industrial Estate. Both of these centres are located in the Shire of Collie but share the infrastructure resources of the region and provide significant wealth and employment for the Greater Bunbury sub-region. 4.2.4 Existing industrial centres Industrial centres that are not strategic in nature cater for a broad range of fabrication, some manufacturing and processing, warehousing and bulk goods handling activities at one end of the scale and provide household needs at the other. Generally, these are the light industrial areas located adjacent to existing residential development. Given the nature of their customer base and catchment, these industrial centres rely heavily on the efficient movement of goods and services throughout the Greater Bunbury sub-region. It is, therefore, important that the balanced distribution of these industrial centres is maintained across the Greater Bunbury sub-region to reduce freight handling and to improve the provision of products and services to the broader community. 4.2.5 Industrial growth Industrial demand and growth will still generally be located close to Bunbury radiating out in a southeastern direction from Picton, with Kemerton retained as a strategic location for larger or heavier industrial uses that cannot be accommodated in the Picton area. Smaller localised industrial areas will be required in the inland settlements as they become more self-sufficient and transform from rural villages to country towns. An industrial needs study is currently being prepared with involvement from State and local government and relevant industries to analyse and investigate industrial land supply needs for the future. This study is anticipated to be completed in 2011 and will provide the analysis proposed timing of release of new land for Industrial purposes. Table 11: Hierarchy of industrial sites Strategic centres Existing industrial centres Future Industrial Centres Kemerton North (Iluka Resources) Preston Halifax Picton Waterloo Road (Metro Brick) Brunswick Junction Waterloo General industry, Picton General industry, Picton 45