Augusta’s main street upgrade plan moving, but slowly

The Augusta residents’ association has welcomed the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River’s commitment to the hamlet’s main street despite the project’s slow movement. The local government earlier this month confirmed it would form a community reference group to guide the finer details for the streetscape overhaul, which alarmed some residents when considered by the council in September. At that meeting, councillors insisted on residents having a voice in approving design elements due to concerns about street trees and plans to have more vehicles reversing into Blackwood Avenue traffic. However, the group was not expected to be formed until midway through next year and funding was yet to be attached to make the project a reality. The Augusta Community Development Association said the timeframe was not an issue when dealing with complex civil projects. “ACDA has been actively involved with community consultation,” a spokesperson said. “ACDA acknowledges the challenges inherent in this project with the broad scope of works, the complexities of current planning requirements, budget and timing dependencies, and the diverse and passionate opinions of the local community.” A shire spokesperson said a finalised concept plan would allow for works on Blackwood Avenue and Ellis Street to occur in stages. “Now that council have endorsed the concept plan, we can move onto working out the finer details,” the spokesperson said. “We anticipate that detailed design will occur in the 2025-26 financial year. We expect aspects of the concept plan will be implemented in stages over a number of years.” The adopted concept plan would be used to seek external funding options, the Shire said. Flukes owner Susan Roberts said it was crucial Augusta’s charm remains. However, the main street businessperson said delays around the project weren’t a big concern because everyone feared the inevitable disruption once construction started. “Let’s hope we can work together and create something that works for the majority,” Ms Roberts said. Ms Roberts said the shire needed to address more than “a few minor alterations” and feared feedback from 47 residents in a community of 1000 meant the final vision could remain flawed. “A town built on the side of a hill with many landowners and departments overlapping public land use makes this a very complex project,” she said. “However, it doesn’t mean we can’t get it right.” The gravest concerns were changes to parking arrangements and traffic movements, Ms Roberts said. “We have an elderly population and it will be stressful and a safety concern,” she said. “This plan does not reflect the majority of business owners’ views.”