Planning Minister Rita Saffioti will this week sign a new City of Nedlands local planning scheme to enable more housing choice, ageing in place opportunities and higher residential density around transport corridors.
The modified scheme, LPS3, will replace the City of Nedlands’ current town planning scheme which has been in place since 1985.
As Perth’s population grows, the State Government’s strategy requires more housing choice closer to the central business district and existing community infrastructure such as parks, public transport and medical facilities.
The plan will restrict further density on many suburban streets, focusing it in activity centres to protect the character of the suburb.
According to Census data, the City of Nedlands local government area has fewer residents now than it did in the 1960s.
The City of Nedlands, which borders the City of Perth, also has among the lowest densities of the central area metropolitan local governments.
Infill targets will be addressed with well-designed higher densities permitted around transport corridors and activity centres including:
- Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre – the southern hemisphere’s largest medical centre;
- The University of Western Australia – the State’s oldest tertiary education centre;
- The Dalkeith neighbourhood centre on Waratah Avenue; and
- Sections of Stirling Highway and adjacent streets, scaled back from original WAPC proposals.
The new local planning scheme is intended to provide more housing choice for existing City of Nedlands residents wanting to downsize and to enable more homes for prospective residents wanting to be closer to work or university.
It also addresses community feedback to retain the character of heritage streets, leaving about 75 per cent of the City of Nedlands area completely unchanged.
The City of Nedlands commenced work on Local Planning Scheme 3 in 2002, with the version advertised in November 2017 attracting more than 1,000 submissions.
The City of Nedlands had the opportunity to respond to its community’s concerns with the WAPC’s draft plan in July 2018 but chose not to do so. While the council did not support the draft LPS, it provided no guidance to the WAPC or the Minister on what amendments it believed should be made prior to the finalisation of the scheme.
As a result, the Minister for Planning has had to respond to the feedback provided by the community and will compel the City of Nedlands to make modifications to the draft LPS and return it to her for final approval.
As stated by Planning Minister Rita Saffioti:
“We have considered the feedback from City of Nedlands’ residents and I will be supporting a scheme that is more in line with community expectations.
“I believe this scheme will strike the right balance between ensuring the character of Nedlands remains while allowing the city to accommodate a population with changing housing needs.
“The aim of increasing density and updating old local planning schemes is clear – to plan for increased population near existing infrastructure such as public transport, healthcare and schools.
“We want to create more housing choice in suburbs close to the CBD and transition to better connected, sustainable and more liveable communities.
“People want to be able to live close to work or have the option to downsize while staying in their current suburbs.
“The modified scheme reflects the importance of the specialised activity centre of The University of WA and Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre precinct to the State, supports Perth and [email protected] infill targets and will ensure the City remains a vibrant liveable community.”
