The $25,000 Growing Armadale survey was carried out by consultants Research Solutions and was designed to provide feedback for councillors to make informed decisions on behalf of residents and ratepayers for their new strategic community plan.
More than 3000 people took part in the survey from October to December last year.
The City sought to include hard-to-reach groups, including young people, new residents, people from different cultural backgrounds, people with a disability and their carers, business owners and local service providers.
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READ NOW“They are proud to live in Armadale and want the media to carry positive stories about this district,” a council report said.
Key aspirations included value for money for rates, year-round access to an indoor swimming facility, optimum quality of life for all citizens and improvements to parks and streetscapes.
The need for improved services and facilities for young people was a recurring theme and the City was also encouraged to consider the employment and education needs of future generations.
There was concern about safety and anti-social behaviour in public spaces and railway stations.
One of the submissions read: “unfortunately there still seems to be many undesirable people who frequent the area making people feel unsafe. Although only a few, they do ruin it for everyone”.
Safety and anti-social behaviour was a major issue that residents across all suburbs wanted the City to advocate for reduced crime rates and improved police response times.
It was of major concern in Piara Waters (36.3 per cent), Hilbert (31.4), Seville Grove (27), Mt Nasura (21) and Camillo (20.9).
There was also a call for a 24-hour police station in the Armadale centre and for police to be seen patrolling the streets.
Value for money from rates was particularly important to Harrisdale residents, with 38.2 per cent of respondents listing it as their major concern.
“Residents believe Armadale has its share of problems but the research also uncovered a strong undercurrent of optimism, a genuine fondness for the City and sense that its assets and opportunities outweigh its challenges and concerns,” the report said.