FAQs

The Local Planning Strategy was written in-house by the Town’s urban planners and informed by other studies prepared by expert consultants, including:

• Draft Activity Centre Strategy (Planwest, 2017) – assessed the supply of retail floor space need to meet demand from future population growth and made recommendations relating to the size and distribution of retail floor space and the design of activity centres.
• Analysis of Housing Consumption and Opportunities (id, 2016) – conducted a broad analysis of the capacity for additional dwellings, finding potential for 24,000 dwellings, with 93% to be located in activity centres (Albany Highway, Oats Street Station, Carlisle Station, Technology Park/Curtin Uni, Burswood Peninsula, Burswood South).  The report found that the capacity for infill development in non-activity centre areas was limited as most properties have been developed to their capacity under the current Town Planning Scheme No.1 densities.

These reports are in the Your Thoughts Document Library.  The draft Strategy has been modified based on feedback from the WAPC/DPLH during assessment for compliance with the Planning and Development Regulations.

A Local Planning Strategy is a statutory requirement of the Planning and Development Act (Local Planning Schemes) Regulations 2015. The Town must prepare a Local Planning Strategy to provide the strategic basis for a new Local (Town) Planning Scheme.  Regulation 11(2) states that a Local Planning Strategy must:

(a) set out the long-term planning directions for the local government; and

(b) apply any State or regional planning policy that is relevant to the strategy; and

(c) provide the rationale for any zoning or classification of land under the local planning scheme. 

The Local Planning Strategy is also considered an Informing Strategy (ie. major strategy) under the Town’s Integrated Planning and Report Framework.  It is informed by and implements the vision and aspirations of the Town’s Strategic Community Plan and other major strategies (where relevant) through the Town’s strategic and statutory planning activities.

A Local Planning Strategy is a legislative pre-requisite for preparing a new Local Planning Scheme No.2 that will replace the existing Town Planning Scheme No.1.  All local governments must prepare a Local Planning Strategy.  The Strategy is reviewed every 5 years.

The Local Planning Strategy guides how the Town will manage growth and change in land use and development over the next 10 to 15 years.  It has several major functions:

1.  It guides the preparation of a new Local Planning Scheme No.2 (and Local Planning Policies) that will replace Town Planning Scheme No.1.

2.   It provides a vehicle for implementing the Town’s other major non-planning strategies and plans through the Planning Scheme, where relevant (for example – Public Open Space Strategy, Urban Forest Strategy, Transport Strategy etc).

3.  It provides guidance to the preparation of more detailed local area plans (ie. Precinct Structure Plans, Local Development Plans etc.).

Because the Local Planning Strategy guides land use and development, it influences the character and quality of places including:

• housing density and types,
• the location and mix of commercial activities,
• elements of urban infrastructure associated with development such as green spaces, landscaping, car parking,
• the character and quality public spaces such as streetscapes and parks, and aspects of community safety.

These elements have a major influence on the social and economic character, liveability and sustainability of the Town.

The Local Planning Strategy also addresses our responsibilities for implementing strategic metropolitan planning directions by:

• applying the WA Planning Commission’s suite of State Planning Policies where relevant.
• demonstrating how the Town will accommodate its infill dwelling targets as set out in the WA Planning Commission’s Central Sub-Regional Planning Framework (WAPC, 2018).

The Local Planning Strategy will not change the current zoning or development potential of your property, but it does recommend changes to the local planning framework for some areas (mostly areas that will accommodate future growth ie. precinct planning areas or areas with potential for growth ie. future investigation areas) that may result in changes to zones and development requirements when the new Local Planning Scheme No.2 is prepared.

The Strategy also sets out objectives for each LPS Neighbourhood area that may be used to guide future planning decisions.

Yes, the Local Planning Strategy directs dwelling growth  to the areas identified as “Preferred Areas of Density” as outlined on page 29 of the Strategic Community Plan 2017-2032. Although the Town is currently reviewing the Strategic Community Plan, these locations planned for dwelling growth to 2050 remain valid for the next 10-15 years.  

To-date the draft Local Planning Strategy has been informed by the community engagement results from Evolve engagement program in 2016 undertaken for the Strategic Community Plan.  The Strategy also provides the framework for implementing the recommendations of other key Informing Strategies (ie. major strategies), that the community has been involved in, through a new Local Planning Scheme No.2 such as the Public Open Space Strategy, Environment Plan, Movement and Network Strategy etc.

The State government has various roles:

• Department for Planning, Lands and Heritage – provides advice on how to prepare the Planning Strategy and implementation of State Planning Policies and the metropolitan planning strategy (Central Sub-Regional Planning Framework) and makes recommendations to the WA Planning Commission regarding endorsement of the Local Planning Strategy.
• WA Planning Commission – Certifies (ie provides permission to advertise) the draft Strategy and endorses the final Local Planning Strategy, ensuring the Strategy complies with the Planning Regulations.
• Infrastructure agencies – provide advice on servicing future dwelling growth and alignment of the Strategy recommendations with major State government strategies, plans and projects where relevant ie. the timing of METRONET level rail crossing projects around Carlisle and Oats Street train stations may influence the timing of precinct planning for these areas.

The Central Sub-Regional Planning Framework (WA Planning Commission, 2018) requires all local governments to plan for an additional number of dwellings, called ‘infill dwelling targets’, so that the Greater Perth Region can accommodate 3.5 million people by 2050.

The Town was allocated a target of 35,000 dwellings by 2050. When originally published, the targets started from the base year of 2011.  As the Town has grown by 1,172 dwellings between 2011 and 2016, the revised estimate of additional dwellings to 2050 is 18,000 dwellings. 

The Local Planning Strategy must demonstrate the Town can accommodate the dwelling target and determine where this growth will occur. The locations for growth in the Strategy reflect the community’s desired locations for density that were mapped during the 2016 strategic community planning engagement.  They are indicated as Precinct Planning Areas of the draft LPS map.  There is potential for growth in other areas called Future Investigation Areas, subject to support from the community during the LPS advertising.

A Precinct Planning Area is an area earmarked for additional dwelling growth to accommodate the Town’s infill dwelling target of 35,000 dwellings by 2050 (ie. an additional 18,000 dwellings).   These areas will be subject to more detailed planning and the preparation of precinct structure plans to inform updates the local planning framework (ie. zones, land uses, densities and development requirements) as well as infrastructure and public realm upgrades.   This work will progress over the 5-year timeframe of the Strategy in accordance with the priorities for each area recommended in Chapter 8 Neighbourhoods.

A Future Investigation Area is an area that has potential for additional dwelling growth but requires further engagement with landowners and the community to gauge their support for growth and potential changes to the local planning framework (ie. higher densities).

In addition, sometimes these areas can be generally referred to as ‘urban consolidation’ areas.

The Local Planning Strategy acknowledges the work that the Town has been progressing over the last several years regarding confirmation of the heritage values in the Residential Character Area and updating the Local Planning Policy 25 Streetscapes to ensure sensitive infill redevelopment and renovation of buildings.  The Local Planning Strategy recommends retaining the existing zones and densities in the Residential Character Area, with the exception of land west of the Vic Park train station which it identifies as a Future Investigation Area for the purposes of engaging with the community to consider lifting the prohibition on multiple dwellings in the existing Residential R40 zone.  

Following Council adoption of the draft Strategy in April 2020, the Strategy was lodged with the Department for Planning, Lands and Heritage for assessment against Regulation 11(2) of the Planning and Development Act (Local Planning Schemes) Regulations 2015.    The Department made multiple requests for refinement of the Strategy during their assessment.  In addition, the WA Planning Commission’s Statutory Planning Committee granted conditional certification (permission for public advertising) subject to changes that have been further assessed and requiring modification by the Department.  

A summary of changes is provided in the Your Thoughts Document Library.

The Town manages population growth and change, and the quality of places through its responsibilities as a local government and via the Strategic Community Plan which outlines the community’s vision for the future, strategic goals and service, program and project priorities for a 10+ year period. In addition, the Council adopts a series of Informing Strategies (ie. major strategies) such as the Public Open Space Strategy, Environment Plan, Movement and Network (Transport) Strategy etc. that drill down further into specific areas to identify longer-term goals and priority services, programs and projects. Together, the Strategic Community Plan and the Informing Strategies provide a strategic and holistic framework for managing growth and creating sustainable places and communities.

The majority of new dwellings built in the Town of the next 10-15 years will be higher density apartments - both low rise (up to 4-6 storeys) and high rise (6 storeys and over) and medium density terraces and townhouses.  Given the predominance of one and two-person households in the Town currently and into the future, there appears to be a need for smaller dwellings.   However, there is also a need to ensure there is a balance of smaller and larger homes to provide diversity and choice for all sized households and housing circumstances as needs change through life.   You can look at the different types of households we expect over the coming decades in the Town’s Population and Dwelling Forecast at https://forecast.id.com.au/victoria-park

Perth and Peel@3.5 million (WAPC, 2018) is the State Government’s planning strategy for the Perth metropolitan region (sometimes referred to as the ‘metropolitan planning strategy’).   It provides a framework for accommodating Perth’s growing population by requiring 47% of new dwellings to be developed in existing urban areas in and close to activity centres and train stations and along key urban transport corridors.  This pattern of growth is considered more sustainable as it reduces urban sprawl on the city’s fringe and provides homes for more people closer to existing transport infrastructure, jobs and services.  

The Central Sub-Regional Planning Framework (WAPC, 2018) provides the framework for managing growth in the Central sub-region where the Town of Victoria Park is located.  The Central Sub-Region is home to around 800,000 people and is expected to grow by 400,000 people by 2050, requiring an additional 215,000 dwellings.

A copy of the document is provided in the Your Thoughts Document Library.

The Town will analyse all submissions and propose modifications to the Local Planning Strategy.   A schedule of submissions (de-identified) and recommended changes will be presented to a Council meeting for consideration, along with a resolution to forward the adopted change to the WA Planning Commission for final approval.  The WA Planning Commission will consider the Council’s recommended changes and may either approve the changes, require further changes, or may refuse to approve the Strategy.  The WA Planning Commission may take several months to consider the final Strategy.

The Planning and Development Act (Local Planning Schemes) Regulations 2015 sets a minimum advertising period of 21 days, however given the importance of the Local Planning Strategy, the Council resolved in April 2020 to advertise the Strategy for eight (8) weeks.

A Local Planning Scheme (or Town Planning Scheme) is a statutory document that zones or reserves land, provides guidance on what land can be used for and the siting and design of buildings and other infrastructure (eg. car parking).  The Town’s current Town Planning Scheme No.1 was adopted in 1998 and has been amended from time-to-time.  A review of the Scheme No.1 in 2017 recommended a new Local Planning Scheme No.2 be prepared to ensure the Scheme reflects contemporary community needs and addresses metropolitan planning strategies and policies.

A copy of the Town Planning Scheme No.1 review (2017) is provided in the Your Thoughts Document Library.

The new Local Planning Scheme No.2 project will commence in 2021-22 and will take several years to finalise following public advertising, assessment by the Department for Planning, Lands and Heritage (DPLH) and approval by the Minister for Planning.  The new Scheme will take direction from the recommendations in the Local Planning Strategy.