Link push for Scouts and Guides

Two community groups have been handed vacate notices to make way for the Eastern Link, and despite State Government departments not yet approving the divisive development, the City of Busselton is standing by the call.

In a move that will once again uproot the groups, the Busselton Girl Guides and Sea Scouts have been given an April 2018 vacate date and will soon shift from Rotary Park to Churchill Park.

City chief executive Mike Archer acknowledged ministerial approval for the Eastern Link had not yet been granted, but told the Times the City was confident it would proceed “with or without conditions”.

“The relocation of the Guides and Scouts requires considerable planning and cannot be left to the last minute,” he said.

“A firm vacation date has been set to enable work on the City Centre Eastern Link to proceed.”

The link forms part of the Busselton Traffic Study and will connect the stretch of Causeway Road between Strelly Street and Rosemary Drive to the portion of Peel Terrace between Stanley Place and Camilleri Street with a bridge over the Vasse River. It is being assessed by the Environmental Protection Agency and has faced strong opposition from some community members, many of whom favour the extension of Ford Road.

Mr Archer defended the relocation, saying regardless of how the Eastern Link progressed Rotary Park did not provide long-term tenure assurance to the groups.

The shift follows the Guides’ previous relocation from Peel Terrace in 2003 due to a development that never went ahead, and the Scouts’ shift from the foreshore to a temporary home in Rotary Park in anticipation of their new home on Margaret Street that has not yet been built.

The Times understands lease fees will be waived for five years for the Guides and one year for the Scouts.

Girl Guides WA general manager Matthew Maxted said the organisation was working closely with the City to find the best solution for the Busselton unit.

Busselton Sea Scouts group leader Rebecca Harris said plans for the new hall at Margaret Street were progressing and it was hoped building would start in late April.