CBD store may close after vote

A small business which has been operating from the centre of Bunbury for a decade could close after the council refused its application to move to a bigger location on planning grounds.

Kellie Piacentini who owns gourmet and wholefood store Rusticana, last year applied to the Bunbury City Council to move her store to the Homemaker Centre.

But at Tuesday night’s meeting, the council voted 5-4 to follow the recommendation from its officers to reject the application.

Councillors were recommended to vote against the proposal because the store “would jeopardise the retail hierarchy” of other retail centres in Bunbury.

Mrs Piacentini argued her new store would not just be a shop but a produce market and provided her own legal advice to council.

She told the South Western Times she was frustrated with the decision and could close the shop after her lease expires at the end of June.

“I understand (the council) are trying to uphold the planning executive decision but at the end of the day they are jeopardising a business that effectively has been hamstrung and unable to continue to grow, ” she said.

Mrs Piacentini is keen to move because the store lacks floor space and has no loading bay for pallets of goods that each weigh more than 1000kg.

“There are genuine factors that have hindered my business operating the way I want it, ” she said.

During the debate, Cr Murray Cook said he would rather see Rusticana move and grow then see it close or move to another town.

Cr Judy Jones said it was an extremely difficult decision to make, conceding the business was “creaking at the seams”, but said the council had to follow its own rules.

Cr Betty McCleary, who was not at the meeting but participated in the debate by phone, said it was clear that the Town Planning Scheme had limitations.

However, she said the council had to support it otherwise “it would just end up being chaotic”.

Mayor Gary Brennan and councillors David Prosser and Michelle Steck declared an interest and were not involved in the debate or final vote.