Strategic Community Plan - Creating Nedlands 2028

The community first engaged with developing a vision and strategic direction in 2011. For the Strategic Community Plan, that vision was tested through the precinct workshops and later refined to focus on what the community felt was most important for the future of the City of Nedlands.

This vision is as follows:

“Our overall vision is of a diverse community where people can live through the different ages and stages of their lives.

We will have easy access to community ‘hubs’ where a mix of parks, shops, community and sporting facilities will bring people together, strengthening local relationships.

Our gardens, streets, parks and bushlands will be clean, green and tree-lined and we will live sustainably within the natural environment.

We will enjoy great transport systems and people will have access to local facilities through efficient cycling and walking facilities.

We will be an active, safe, inclusive community enjoying a high standard of local services and facilities.

We will live in a beautiful place.”

The Council considered the Community’s vision and responded by creating a vision that highlighted the elements it would focus on, including their governance and civic leadership roles. This vision guides the Strategic Community Plan. 

This vision is as follows:

"Our overall vision is of a harmonious community.

We will have easy access to quality health and educational facilities and lively local hubs consisting of parks, community and sporting facilities and shops where a mix of activities will bring people together, strengthening local relationships.

Our gardens, streets, parks will be well maintained, green and tree-lined and we will live sustainably within the natural environment.

We will work with neighbouring Councils and provide leadership to achieve an active, safe, inclusive community enjoying a high standard of local services and facilities.

We will live in a beautiful place.”

Looking to the future now from 2017, what is most important to you in the future for the City of Nedlands, and why?

A number of priorities were identified during the development of the current Strategic Plan in 2012, which established a number of targets for the ensuing 10 year period. Over the past 4 years most of the key priorities have since been achieved and others progressed, whilst some projects are more ongoing and continue to feature in the City’s future plans. The City constantly reviews its priorities which can sometimes be subject to change due to financial challenges, lack of community support or new opportunities that arise from time to time.

In order to provide a planned, funded and coordinated program for the City of Nedlands, Council is currently finalising its 10 Year Financial Plan. This plan takes into consideration the City’s ongoing responsibilities, service levels, rating capacity, borrowing limits, possible asset sales and as well as the projects and capital works required to keep Nedlands community facilities and the general amenity level of the City up to the standard expected by our residents.

The Financial Plan assists Council to set its priorities and allows the organisation to get on with the day to day affairs of a busy local government with a clear direction. This Plan assumes no growth in staff numbers and all operational activities will be kept in line with CPI increases including normal capital works for roads, parks and buildings. However, the City will need to raise some additional rate revenue, some loan borrowings and even sale of land to fund new projects such as, underground power, new community facilities and improvements to standard of the City’s roads and infrastructure. The City is committed to keeping rate increases as low as possible and operational savings and additional revenue sources will be actively pursued to support this objective.

What are the priorities?

Following on from the current Strategic Plan, a reviewed version of the City’s overall draft strategic priorities are as follows:

• Protecting our quality living environment

• Renewal of community infrastructure such as roads, footpaths, community and sports facilities

• Underground power

• Encouraging sustainable building

• Retaining remnant bushland and cultural heritage

• Providing for sport and recreation

• Managing parking

• Working with neighbouring Councils to achieve the best outcomes for the western suburbs as a whole

Each priority is split up below and provided in more detail, please tell us your thoughts within each of the topics that follow.  General comments can be made here.

Protect Our Quality Living Environment:

• Retain and encouraging the special character of the City of Nedlands through implementation of the Local Planning Strategy and Local Planning Scheme 3

• Consolidate urban growth around existing ‘activity corridors’, centres and strategically located redevelopment sites to protect the valued character of established residential areas

• Control land use through the Local Planning Scheme so activities are compatible with our living environment are permitted, and other activities are carefully evaluated before decisions are made

• Initiate Strategic Land Use planning investigations and feasibility studies

• Apply statutory planning processes and framework

• Conduct environmental health inspections

• Provide, retain and maintain public trees in streets and on reserves

• Optimise reuse of recyclable or compostable materials, aiming for a State target 65% landfill diversion rate as a minimum

• Manage noise issues

• Ensure buildings meet City and State Government Standards, particularly public safety and accessibility

• Implement actions from the Disability Access and Inclusion Plan (DAIP) for a more accessible and inclusive community

Do you have any thoughts on this priority?  Please place your thoughts here.

Renewal of Community Infrastructure (roads, footpaths, community and sports facilities):

Increase investment in roads, footpaths, cycle ways and drainage and high priority sports and community facilities:

• Maximise road grant opportunities for road improvements, rehabilitation and black spot funding

• Invest in road rehabilitation works to achieve a target of 80 per cent in good condition, with the remaining 20 per cent in a satisfactory condition to prevent roads slipping into poor condition and associated cost escalation

• Program to construct all laneways to a minimum standard

• Invest in footpath renewals targeting all slab footpaths (including Stirling Highway) to be replaced with concrete, brick paving or asphalt paths

• Construct paths where there are gaps as part of a School Sports Facility Path Network

• Improve bicycle paths

• Invest in drainage upgrades focussing on minimising flooding, maximising stormwater infiltration at source and minimising pollutant discharge to the Swan River

• Deliver an All Abilities Play Space facility at Beaton Park

• Invest in parks infrastructure to replace aged irrigation in accordance with enviro-scape master plans

• Invest in rebuilding the river wall to protect and retain the foreshore, including enhancements to pocket beaches and increased river wall protection

• Program to replace and replenish play equipment, barbecues, seating and drinking fountains and other parks infrastructure

• Increase and upgrade off-street parking

• Replace city-wide bus shelters

• Plan for rebuilds and refurbishment of high priority sporting and community facilities

• Upgrade the condition of all City buildings to a required modern standard

• Pursue funding (including grants and donations) for community and sporting facilities from non-Council sources

• Taking a “whole-of-life cycle” approach to the management of assets

• Develop cost effective management strategies, taking into account growth, risks, sustainable use of physical resources and continuous improvement in asset management practices

• Provide a defined level of service and monitoring performance

Do you have any thoughts on this priority?  Please place your thoughts here.

Underground Power:

• Deliver underground power to the rest of the City of Nedlands properties

• Advocate for government and/or community partnerships to facilitate placing power underground

Do you have any thoughts on this priority?  Please place your thoughts here.

Encourage Sustainable Building:

• Provide information on best practice sustainable building, and where required incorporate this information into land use and other regulatory controls

• Apply Strategic Land Use Planning through application of the Local Planning Scheme 3

Do you have any thoughts on this priority?  Please place your thoughts here.

Retain Remnant Bushland and Cultural Heritage:

• Revegetate remnant bushland areas

• Develop greenway corridors

• Undertake tree planting in public areas

• Restore of coastal and estuarine areas

• Maintain parks and other green spaces

• Provide a mechanism for buildings and places of heritage significance to be protected

• Allocate funds to enhance the City in the areas of art, heritage etc

• Maintain City owned art works and heritage assets

• Enforce existing heritage provisions in planning scheme

Do you have any thoughts on this priority?  Please place your thoughts here.

Provide for Sport and Recreation:

• Increase the level of service for parks, ovals and associated equipment

• Provide a “one-stop-shop” for the City’s sporting clubs

• Prioritise local sporting clubs in the booking of the City’s parks and reserves for sporting use

• Make available facilities for lease to sports needing exclusive use of a facility (e.g. bowls, tennis, croquet etc)

• Assist with grant applications to secure facility funding from State Government

• Provide grant assistance from Council for priority facility development projects

• Subsidise school pools for community use over the summer season

• Provide an annual operational grant to Swanbourne Nedlands Surf Life Saving Club

• Enable participation in sport through Kidsport grants (funded by State Government)

• Match volunteers to volunteer opportunities in sporting clubs

• Formulate master plans for Strategic Recreation areas

Do you have any thoughts on this priority?  Please place your thoughts here.

Address Parking:

• Undertake operational reviews of parking, traffic management, traffic and transport planning

• Explore the acquisition of land to dedicate for parking in areas of high need

• Continue to monitor traffic flows and plan for improvements to ensure an efficiently operating transport network

• Advocate for improvements in public transport and bicycle routes

• Monitor parking and plan improvements

Do you have any thoughts on this priority?  Please place your thoughts here.

Working with Neighbouring Councils:

• Continue to work with other councils for the benefit of the Nedlands community

• Partnership with other councils to supply  services to allow the City to employ in-house specialist staff, resulting in better economies of scale

• Develop boundary road agreements for project funding and standardised service levels

• Remaining an active member of the Western Suburbs Regional Organisation of Councils (WESROC)

• Investigate shared use of recycled water

• Participating in the Native plant subsidy scheme

Do you have any thoughts on this priority?  Please place your thoughts here.