Local Planning Strategy

Thank you for your comments.  Maintaining the green, tree-lined nature of our suburbs is key in the City of Nedlands vision. In general, the types of rules you have suggested are better addressed in a Local Planning Scheme, rather than Strategy. Development of a new Local Planning Scheme is underway and will also have a public consultation period.

To clarify, the December 2015 resolution allows Western Power to pursue the desired boundary adjustment. Western Power could pursue rezoning of the piece of in a new Local Planning Scheme or Scheme Amendment. Either of these processes require Council decisions. The December 2015 resolution simply highlights Council’s preference to see this land vested in the City of Nedlands for public purposes/recreation.

Thank you for taking the time to ask us a question. The draft Local Planning Strategy does not propose much change for Swanbourne, and as a result these is not a lot of detail on the map about the different ‘green spaces’ in the precinct. The Precinct Specific Strategies for Swanbourne are as follows :

• Retain and enhance the character and streetscape of the existing residential areas.
• As a priority, comprehensively plan for Allen Park and surrounding areas.
• Rationalise split density codes in order to protect the established character of the precinct.

The second point, relating to planning for Allen Park and surrounds, is intended to reflect the incomplete master planning of the area and highlight the need for thorough, strategic planning (including traffic and access) rather than addressing ad hoc proposals. If you would like to see a greater emphasis on protecting, maintaining or creating cycleways, walkways and greenways in the area, we would be very interested to receive a submission from you if you have not already done so.

A  good question, our Captain Stirling Neighbourhood Centre is one of our key planning challenges. The draft Local Planning Strategy references the future of the Centre in our Intentions, Strategies and background information, for example one of our Retail and Commerce Strategies reads as follows:

‘Facilitate the maintenance and expansion of the Captain Stirling Neighbourhood Centre (and nearby civic facilities such as City of Nedlands Administration and Library) as the main Town Centre. Plan for this centre to be the largest and most complex mixed‐use activity centre in the hierarchy of centres.’

There is technical detail contained within the Activity Centres Planning Strategy (attached to the draft Local Planning Strategy) for further reading.

You are correct in saying that the draft Strategy lacks statutory development controls. The next step in the preparation of a new planning framework, a Local Planning Scheme, is where the development control provisions will be formulated. We are confident that with an engaged local community and further consultation, a favourable outcome can be achieved for a refreshed Town Centre.

Thanks for your question.  The draft Local Planning Strategy does not propose any further growth in the area for a couple of reasons. Firstly, there is existing residential development potential within the activity centre (enabled by Scheme Amendment 192 in 2012). Also there is some diversity in the housing immediately around the centre, with a number of smaller lots, duplexes and villa style houses. If you’d like to see more residential density around the Dalkeith centre, please complete a survey or write a submission letting us know what you’d support. 

Thanks for your interest. At its meeting of 15 December 2015, Council resolved that:

Council:

1. Endorses Western Power initiating the process to adjust the boundaries between its parcel of land at 120 Montgomery Road Mt. Claremont and the adjacent parcels of land vested in the City of Nedlands as Public Purpose Recreation. All costs associated with this process are to be borne by Western Power.

2. Requests Western Power to consider the transfer of the land with vesting to the City of Nedlands for public purposes/recreation.

Please visit http://www.nedlands.wa.gov.au/minutes-agendas and scroll to December 2015 PD Reports to read the report associated with the resolution as it provides more detailed information that might be of interest to you.

Thanks for your question. The Transition Zones as shown on the map are conceptual, they indicate that from the high intensity development on Stirling Highway we expect there to be one or two different sets of development rules to transition back to the existing residential areas. The exact boundaries of where these different zonings, building heights and development rules will apply hasn’t been decided yet. You are correct that when this detail is decided, blocks will be wholly within one ‘zone’.

Thank you for your comments.  As you mentioned, Stirling Highway is complex with many different agencies involved in the planning and decision making process. Issues such as built form, land use, density and access requirements all need to be addressed. Earlier this month the amendment to the Stirling Highway Road Reservation was tabled in Parliament. The finalisation of this amendment will give some certainty to landowners and setbacks that relate to the rationalised road reservation can be implemented. More work will be required to determine exactly what the roadway and footpath will look like within the road reservation.

The Local Planning Strategy in identifying Stirling Highway as a ‘high intensity, predominantly medium rise urban growth area’ giving partner agencies more direction for the City’s expectation for the future of the corridor, and landowners an indication of the future development potential of their lot. The Activity Corridor Framework survey might be a good tool for you to provide some more detailed feedback. 

Thank you for taking the time to ask us a question. The Transition Zones as shown on the map are conceptual, they indicate that from the high intensity development on Stirling Highway we expect there to be one or two different sets of development rules to transition back to the existing residential areas. The boundaries of the different areas have not yet been decided. We will use the comments from this engagement process in deciding exactly where the different zonings, building heights and development rules will apply.  It would be good to hear your thoughts through our surveys.  

Thanks for your question. We understand the Department of Education are reviewing the need for additional school facilities in the western suburbs area. The City has also written to the Department of Education and local schools in relation to the draft Local Planning Strategy, both for their information and to prompt further discussions if required.

The relationship between higher density buildings and adjacent areas will be a challenge across a number of areas including, as you’ve mentioned, around schools. The Urban Design, Character and Heritage Intention and associated Strategies indicate the importance of best practice urban design particularly in areas of transition. The detail of exactly how this will occur will be further developed in the new Scheme. Parking and traffic congestion will also have to be closely managed across the City of Nedlands, the Traffic and Transport Intentions and Strategies provide some more detail on this topic.