THE BACK Beach could be transformed into a vibrant tourism precinct under a City of Bunbury plan to make the most of the valuable asset.
The vision for the precinct is to create a tourism hub which allows residents and visitors to stay in a unique location with an outlook to the Indian Ocean and a close proximity to a vibrant regional city centre, according to City planning director Bob Karaszkewych.
Mr Karaszkewych said the precinct would not only add to the city’s tourism industry, but would also act as an asset which would benefit the economy and community.
City of Bunbury chief executive officer Andrew Brien said the precinct would include a combination of residential, long and short stay accommodation and retail to reactivate the area.
“One of the challenges will be finding a balance between higher density development and open space to make sure we don’t overdevelop,” Mr Brien said.
The City had sought to take a holistic approach to the development of the area by creating a precinct rather than dealing with each property and landowner separately.
The plan is expected to be put before the public for a period of at least 30 days to gain ideas for its refinement.
Although the area has historically been known as Back Beach, the community will also be asked to suggest potential alternative names for the precinct.
Council will make a decision on the proposed precinct next Tuesday night.
Have your say. What would you like to see on the Back Beach? Email editor.bunburymail@ruralpress.com