A Local Planning Strategy is a statutory requirement of the Planning and Development (Local Planning Schemes) Regulations 2015.

The purpose of the Local Planning Strategy is to:

• Set out the long-term planning direction to guide the City of Belmont’s planning framework, including the preparation of a new Local Planning Scheme and Local Planning Policies.
• Apply any State or regional planning policy that is relevant to the Strategy; and
• Provide the rationale for any zoning or classification of land under a new local planning scheme.

The draft Local Housing Strategy provides analysis and recommendations to guide the City’s future housing needs.

To inform the draft Local Planning Strategy, several sub-strategies have been prepared and adopted by Council including:

• Public Open Space Strategy
• Economic Development Strategy
• Great Eastern Highway Urban Corridor Strategy
• Environment and Sustainability Strategy
• Activity Centre Planning Strategy.

A draft Local Housing Strategy has also been prepared concurrently to the draft Local Planning Strategy to ensure alignment between the two documents.

No consultation on the draft Strategies has occurred to date. However, in preparing the sub-strategies, the following consultation was undertaken:

• Officers undertook five resident workshops in June and July 2019. The workshops provided the community with an opportunity to participate in the future planning of the City. More specifically, the workshops aimed to:
  
  - Establish a vision for future planning of housing, activity centres and public open space in the City.
  
  - Identify the perceived strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in relation to housing, activity centres and public open space in the City
• Meetings were held with several activity centre land and business owners to gauge the business community’s perceptions of activity centres. This included understanding their views on the indicative catchment area, enhancements to the pubic realm and safety, as well as identifying potential development opportunities.
• At the conclusion of the workshops and meetings, two surveys, on for residents and one for businesses, were distributed to the community. These surveys aimed to gain a further understanding of resident and business aspirations for the City.
• Each of the sub strategies were advertised and submissions considered.
  
  

The Local Planning Strategy and Local Housing Strategy do not alter the existing zoning or development potential of your property.

However, the draft Local Planning Strategy and Local Housing Strategy do identify where zones and density codes need to be reviewed and further investigated through the preparation of the City’s new local planning scheme.

Planning Areas are strategically designated to address their unique needs and opportunities within different parts of the City of Belmont. The draft Local Planning Strategy identifies 11 Planning Areas each with specific directions and actions to guide their future development. The location of these Planning Areas is outlined on the Local Planning Strategy Map.

Yes, the draft Local Planning Strategy includes actions to investigate the following through the preparation of a new local planning scheme:

• Phasing out dual density codes (e.g. R20/40) consistent with the state government’s position.
• Applying a density code to areas suitable for residential development that currently lack one, such as ‘Mixed Use’ zoned lots and land within activity centres.
• Avoiding widespread upcoding, with higher densities instead focused in strategic locations such as along transport corridors and near activity centres.

Yes, the draft Local Planning Strategy includes actions to investigate updating the City’s current zones, where possible, to align with the Model Provisions.

The draft Local Planning Strategy supports the ongoing conservation of places of cultural heritage significance in accordance with the Heritage Act. The City’s Heritage List and Local Heritage Survey help to identify and recognise these places, and are reviewed regularly to ensure they remain up to date.

The draft Local Planning Strategy recognises the importance of public open space and is informed by the City’s Public Open Space Strategy, which guides improvements and potential opportunities for expansion. It supports protecting key natural assets and ensuring the community has access to quality open spaces that meet future needs.

Yes. There will also be community and stakeholder engagement on the new Local Planning Scheme.

Officers will review comments received during the advertising period, make any required modifications to the documents and present them back to Council for consideration. Following this, the Local Planning Strategy will be provided to the Western Australian Planning Commission for endorsement.