Clarification on Local Planning Scheme No. 3 requirements

The City has been made aware of misinformation circulating to the community in relation to Local Planning Scheme No. 3.

In response, the City has sought to clarify the planning process in relation to scheme and interpreting the density map – and urges people to visit and read the information available on this engagement page or call or email (council@nedlands.wa.gov.au) the planning department on for the correct information.

This misinformation comes after Planning Minister Rita Saffioti directed the City to make modifications to LPS3 before it is endorsed and gazetted.

Planning and Development (Local Planning Schemes) Regulations require the City to provide a copy of the modified scheme to the WA Planning Commission within 42 days (15 March) of receiving the Minister’s direction.

In the meantime, the Minister’s office has released a map of Nedlands and Dalkeith for public information showing the densities that will result from the modifications. A map showing properties zoned mixed use has also been provided for public information. Both maps are available in the document library.

Understanding the minister’s schedule of modifications contains technical instructions to the City, describing how officers are to amend the Local Planning Scheme text. For this reason, the schedule of modifications is a confidential document intended for planning officer interpretation.

The document’s confidentiality should ensure administration has sufficient time to prepare a community engagement strategy, explaining the final scheme’s contents in clear, understandable language.

Once the scheme is gazetted, the City will hold information sessions to help the community understand and interpret the new scheme requirements.

The misinformation circulated included scheme requirements associated with laneway widening in the Nedlands area. The requirement to provide land to widen an existing laneway so it can be used for vehicle access and servicing will only apply when landowners themselves decide to subdivide or re-develop with more than one dwelling.

The requirement to contribute land to widen an existing laneway to an appropriate width is common practice throughout Perth’s metropolitan area and is even applied currently in the City of Nedlands under Town Planning Scheme No. 2.

A media release has also been prepared in regard to the misinformation. Please visit the City’s website to read the media release.