Blueprint plans bright future for Busselton
Busselton's future infrastructure and growth is a key feature of the South West Regional Blueprint.
The Busselton City Council accepted a copy of the blueprint summary and implementation guide by the South West Development Commission at its final meeting of 2014.
The document highlights the action needed to ensure as the South West population grows there are enough jobs to go around and that residents enjoy a quality lifestyle.
It outlines by 2050 the Busselton Regional Airport will be used by national and international air services, and the cities of Busselton, Bunbury and Perth will be connected by high speed rail.
City of Busselton planning and development services director Paul Needham said the blueprint reflected the City's long-term vision.
"The Future Busselton 2050 document set out a range of scenarios for how the City may develop between now and mid-century," he said.
"Most scenarios assumed continued and significant expansion of services from the Busselton Regional Airport.
"That has already occurred and we are hopeful of receiving funding for works that will allow interstate services to commence in the next few years.
"There is much less certainty around development of passenger rail services, but the blueprint recognises the need to plan for that to occur, and supports the identification of a rail corridor that would link Busselton with Bunbury and Perth.
"It does not, however, support the development of an actual railway or rail services at this stage."
The South West population is expected to be 500,000 by 2050, which makes the creation of jobs a major objective.
Mr Needham said Busselton's population was expected to be about 75,000 and Dunsborough's more than 15,000.
The expansion of industry markets, particularly in Asia, is key to the blueprint's plans.
City community and commercial services director Naomi Searle said they expect to see continuing interest from Asian economies, particularly in the areas of agriculture and tourism.
"This is likely to increase once the Busselton Regional Airport is able to accommodate long-haul flights from the East Coast and, in time, Asian destinations," she said.
Ms Searle said the airport would also be a major driver of industry in the future, and the city's skilled workforce's expertise in niche industries such as tourism and viticulture would form part of the region's industry supply growth.
