Troublesome pot plants on Hannay Lane set to stay following council decision

Pot plants on Dunsborough’s Hannay Lane are here to stay — for now — after City of Busselton councillors voted to retain and re-affix them despite residents’ concerns. The decision at last week’s meeting will see the pots stay in place while the city’s chief executive investigates a number of future options for the street. Issues on the street were brought to the city’s attention through a petition signed by more than 160 residents. A recent investigation by city staff found illegal parking was rife on the street, forcing pedestrians onto the road. Yallingup Coffee Roasting owner Craig McConville made a statement to council and said his business had seen the impacts of the pots firsthand. “The pots just weren’t working for us, the paint’s great, the greening, the plants, it’s really good but just creating congestion and there was no movement in the lane,” he said. Hannay Lane acts as a service road to businesses, a customer parking area and provides shop frontage while also being a pedestrian path. In 2021, the road was the subject of a revitalisation project and the speed limit was dropped to 10km/h with pot plants installed as a physical barrier. Councillor Val Kaigg presented an alternative motion to keep the pots as per the recommendation, and request the CEO investigate possible future alterations. Those options included considering one or two-way traffic, raising the footpath, and adding a loading zone. Cr Kaigg said the street was uninviting and needed something done in the long term. “The officer’s recommendation to reaffix the pot plants is known not to work in the long term but is a quick fix now because we need to protect pedestrians and cyclists,” she said. “Hannay Lane currently looks chaotic, uninviting and like a forgotten back alley and detracts the appeal to visitors to shops with lane way frontage.” Cr Kaigg’s motion ultimately passed seven votes to nil.

Troublesome pot plants on Hannay Lane set to stay following council decision

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