Plaza upgrade gets green light

Bunbury City Council has given the green light to a multi-million-dollar upgrade of the Bunbury City Plaza Shopping Centre, despite concerns about the safety of school children.

The council approved an application to rezone five lots next to the shopping centre, allowing the owners to expand its carpark and create a bigger Woolworths store.

The Western Australian Planning Commission will make the final decision on the rezoning and expansion plans.

During Tuesday night's meeting, South Bunbury P&C president Glenn Gates called on the council to take into account concerns about the safety of students from increased traffic.

There are fears students at the school and the nearby St Mary's Primary School would be at risk because the new carpark will let shoppers enter and exit from Prosser Street.

At the moment there is only an exit onto the street.

But the council rejected an 11th hour bid to prevent this change because of claims Woolworths would not go ahead with the expansion if cars could not enter from the street.

During the debate, Cr Brendan Kelly said he was not happy the grocery giant was "bullying" the council into accepting the decision.

He was confident the developers could find a solution without the Prosser Street car park entrance.

Cr Kelly said there was "no need to channel cars into a little piece of South Bunbury".

In a speech prior to the debate, former councillor Tom Dillon said the council needed to approve the rezoning to show it was "open for business".

"I want to see Bunbury grow as it has been doing," he said.

Mayor Gary Brennan said the development would have economic and social benefits for the area.

"Once completed, the Plaza Shopping Centre will anchor one end of Forrest Avenue in an area that is undergoing a transition from its traditional residential streetscape," Mr Brennan said.

"This is highlighted by the approval last night to rezone five lots of land on Forrest Avenue, which are just 150 metres from the plaza, to residential mixed use to allow for greater flexibility in this important corridor between Blair Street and Spencer Street."