Australind’s community precinct has entered the consultation period — with three different location options

The location of the Australind community precinct will soon be in the hands of residents, as councillors have unanimously voted to start the consultation period. Over six weeks, from next month, the location of the $15 million precinct will be open to polling, and later assessed for input into a feasibility plan due to go before the council in September. Plans for the precinct were first unveiled last year and include a library, administration centre, art and cultural gallery, tourism information desk, and Indigenous elders’ meeting area. Options for three precinct locations include the repurposing of the existing administration building; use of the Leschenault Leisure Centre — with facilities either at the entrance, pavilion or across the entire LLC site; or the creation of a “town centre” in Treendale. The Shire of Harvey has allocated $10,000 to cover branding, community engagement and feedback sessions, and during an ordinary council meeting last week, discussed the project behind closed doors. Council documents stated development would be conducted over two separate stages “potentially five to 10 years apart”, with the first stage focusing on an administrative office space for the 60 current staff and projected 122 staff in 2050. “This will be exacerbated by the new land opened for development and with the construction of the Bunbury Outer Ring Road. “The need to develop an appropriately sized library, administration centre and community facilities fit-for-purpose within the Australind-Leschenault area has been identified.” Estimates from the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage WA Tomorrow suggest the number of residents within the local government area will grow to about 58,000 over the next three decades.