The Lakes Revitalisation Strategy was part of the City’s suburb renewal project and included the suburbs of South Lake, Bibra Lake (east) and parts of North Lake.
The Minister for Transport and Planning, Rita Saffioti MLA, on 29 March 2019 formally refused to grant final approval to ‘Scheme Amendment No. 118 – The Lakes’. As such no increase to residential density “R-codes” will be applied to the Lakes area as identified by the below 'Location Map'. (Refer to Related Documents below to access the refusal letter).
As part of the preparation of the draft Local Planning Strategy the City looked at the City’s housing needs into the future, which included an assessment of residential infill needs and opportunities. The Lakes area (South Lake, Bibra Lake and North Lake) were considered against the State Planning Framework (Perth and Peel @ 3.5million), and determined not to meet the criteria for infill. This means that residential codings and subdivision potential is proposed to remain unchanged.
Although the residential codings are not proposed to change, the City will continue to implement the other recommendations of the Lakes Revitalisation Strategy, including improvements to streetscapes, parks, road networks, footpaths, cycle paths and bus stops - with the aid of State government partnerships.
The City’s draft Local Planning Strategy proposes the preparation of ‘Local Area Plans’ to identify actions to enhance the City’s established suburbs.
The scope of ‘Local Area Plans’ is yet to be determined, but they are likely to look at:
- Enhancing a green, leafy streetscape character
- Supporting more sustainable and active transport options
- Improving safety and security
- Supporting Activity Centres to become hubs for the community
At this stage the City is awaiting the Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC) approval of the Local Planning Strategy. Once this has occurred, the City will prepare a scope and prioritisation plan for ‘Local Area Plans’.
This will clearly identify the scope and process for community engagement, and will also prioritise their preparation and implementation, recognising there are suburbs that have not been subject to a revitalisation strategy.
When this process commences, we will let you know how you can be involved.
For details relating to the ongoing status of our Local Planning Strategy please visit Comment on Cockburn:
Planning the Best City - What do you think of our strategy?
What was the decision?The Minister resolved to refuse the amendment for the reasons outlined in the refusal letter dated 29 March 2019 from the Western Australian Planning Commission (see Lakes webpage).
What does this mean for subdivision potential in my area?Subdivision under the advertised density codes of R30, R40, R60 and R80 is not possible as the amendment to introduce these new density codes was refused by the Minister.
Will the City be preparing a new amendment? Why or why not?
The City was asked by the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage (DPLH) to focus on its city-wide Local Planning Strategy, and as part of this the City has looked at housing and residential infill needs into the future. As part of preparation of the draft Local Planning Strategy the City has again looked at whether residential recodings are appropriate in South Lake, Bibra Lake and North Lake against the State Planning Framework (Perth and Peel @ 3.5million), however the area was determined not to meet the criteria.
The draft Local Planning Strategy is now awaiting final approval of the Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC).
Why is the Lakes Amendment said to be “inconsistent” with the Sub-Regional Planning Framework?The City’s Lakes Revitalisation Strategy began preparation in 2015, and was finalised by the City on 12 October 2017. This was developed based upon the strategic guidance that the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage had provided in terms of achieving greater proportions of new residential growth within established areas of the Perth region. Strategically this was to be prioritised by all local governments, in order to take full advantage of the proximity to infrastructure, services, facilities and amenities that established areas enjoyed.
The City’s Lakes Revitalisation Strategy was finalised five months before the approval of Perth and Peel @ 3.5 Million/ Sub-Regional Planning Strategy, which provided a different strategic approach through focussing development on the creation of new so called ‘Station Precincts,’ delivered through METRONET. The first stage of METRONET links Cockburn Central/South Lake to Thornlie, and thus the City felt that the Lakes suburbs would reflect the strategic aspiration of a revitalised ‘Station Precinct.’ As ‘Perth and Peel’ came out after the proposed scheme amendment, the City was not able to anticipate the State Government’s METRONET precinct focus on increased density. This is essentially a key reason that has been expressed for not supporting scheme amendment 118.
Why is the Lakes Amendment not supported by a WAPC endorsed Local Planning Strategy?The City’s 2018 Local Housing Strategy was provided to the Commission when adopted however it is a lower order strategy and as such the Commission acknowledged it but did not formally endorse it.
Why was the amendment inconsistent with State Planning Policy No 5.4 – Road and Rail noise methodology?The Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage did not consider that the City’s attempt to address railway noise via a Special Control Area was suitable in the context of higher residential densities. The City proposed that any plans for residential infill would stipulate soundproofing treatments to mitigate noise from the railway. In addition the City’s acoustic report, which informed the proposal, indicated a positive screening effect of residential from the first rows of housing through increased density. The City felt that assisting landowners in these areas to show how development could occur and better manage noise and vibration impacts, would benefit the broader community. Unfortunately this was not supported as part of the consideration of the amendment.
Will the City be undertaking the capital works as listed in the Lakes Revitalisation Strategy and Background Report?The City’s Lakes revitalisation strategy included a number of recommendations in addition to increased density. The remaining commitments to the community under the strategy will continue to be implemented. Specifically, improvements to; streetscape, parks, road networks, footpaths, cycle paths and bus stops - with the aid of State government partnerships.
Please contact the City of Cockburn on 9411 3444 or [email protected] for more information.