News

Nine in ten Vasse residents surveyed were positive about living in Vasse.

Why our residents love Vasse

Key reasons why residents loved living at Vasse included:

• Parks and green spaces
• Central location to the South West
• Close to the beach
• Huge range of facilities & amenities
• Community feel
• Quiet, safe and family friendly.

Here’s what some respondents had to say in the Vasse Satisfaction Survey.

“Love the community spirit and convenience of shops and facilities.”

“Safe, quiet with a real community feel. Love the effort put into the beautiful streetscapes, parks and entry features.”

“Parks – because green is good.  Schools – both schools are awesome!!! Convenience – we are near enough to the south west highlights, but I can still get to work in Bunbury in 45mins.”

Improvements to your community

The survey was also designed to identify potential improvements that could be made.

The Vasse Development Partners have reviewed the feedback in detail and incorporated the findings into their future planning.  Some comments about topics raised are detailed below.

Toilets in Playgrounds

Local government policies regarding security and maintenance of public toilets don’t permit public toilets to be installed at the Nature Playground. However, there are public toilets available in Vasse Village behind the Magpie Café that are available for use every day.

Vehicle Speeds

Just under 5% mentioned concern at vehicle speeds along Napoleon Promenade.

The City of Busselton own and manage these local roads. However, the Vasse Development Partners have provided this feedback to the City and voiced your concerns.

The City has responded back to us with some good actions.

Their first step of action is to install a number of traffic counters along Napoleon Prom to ascertain the nature of any illegal activity/speeding and provide this feedback to the WA Police.

If speeding is detected, they would submit an official request from the City with a recommendation for the Police to provide a presence that could deter and hopefully illuminate the unwanted behaviour. They are also considering locating a digital Variable Message Board (VMS) with an inbuilt radar advising/reminding drivers of the speed they’re travelling and advise slowing down.

At this point, they advise against installation of speed calming devices as they often cause significant irritation/nuisance to law abiding road users.

Vasse & Kealy Suburbs

Vasse and Kealy are both suburbs that form part of Vasse Estate, however some of you simply want there to be one suburb name – Vasse.  Kealy originated in early farming days and is the suburb that Dawson Estate homes are located in.

The Vasse Development Partners have been in discussions with the City of Busselton over the last year to bring Dawson Estate under the same Vasse suburb. These discussions will continue to take place and we’ll keep you posted on any changes that may come about.

School Crossings

A few of your raised issues with the lack of school crossing attendants. We have raised this with the Primary School and High School and a traffic study is currently underway to support the application for a permanent crossing attendant at Vasse Primary School.

The possibility of pedestrian crossing on Northerly Street is also being investigated with the City of Busselton. A pedestrian crossing in the 50kmph zone of Northerly Street will also help to provide a safer crossing between each school.

Maintaining Paths & Cycleways

Concern was raised by some residents – particularly in Birchfields Estate (east of Northerly St) – about bumpy footpaths.  Residents in Birchfields Estate are recommended to contact the City of Busselton, who manage parks and gardens within that area of the Estate.

In Dawson Estate (west of Northerly St), the Vasse Development Partners install landscaping at each development stage, and manage these installations for a period. After this time, they are handed over to the City of Busselton for further maintenance. Our landscape contractors still monitor these landscape installations post-handover and are working with the City of Busselton to improve areas where landscaping has fallen below a suitable standard.

Antisocial Behaviour

A small number of residents noted some antisocial behaviour. So we spoke to the local Police to find out how you can help keep your home safe.

Here’s some handy tips from Busselton Police department.

1. Install security lights around your property to ensure it is well lit at night-time.
2. Install CCTV cameras to record any suspicious or criminal activity.
3. Install a security alarm.

The WA Police also have some great resources to help protect your home if you feel unsafe, including a home security checklist.

Community Events For All

A broader events calendar will commence once covid-19 restrictions are removed, including events for a wider range of age groups and demographics.

Ongoing Community Development at Vasse

If you’ve got feedback on the community, or would like to get more information on local community groups and initiatives, get in touch with Nicole Andrijevic, our Community Development Officer via nicole@vasse.com.au

About the Vasse Satisfaction Survey

An opportunity to complete the survey was promoted to all Vasse residents via a flyer drop, EDM and social media.  93 Vasse residents living in Birchfields and Dawson Estates completed the survey online during Sept/Oct 2019.  The survey was designed, managed and analysed by independent research companies – ThinkField and ThinkTribe.

The survey was commissioned by Vasse Development Partners to see how the local community felt about living in Vasse. It will be undertaken on a regular basis in future years.