Local Planning Scheme No. 5 and Local Planning Strategy

The main purpose of the Land Use Planning Strategy is to investigate and recommend where future housing, commercial and light industrial uses could be located within the Shire.  The findings of the Land Use Planning Strategy will inform Local Planning Scheme No.5 and the new Local Planning Strategy.

Details as to when community engagement is being undertaken, as well as other updates, will be provided in the Latest News section of this site.

Please contact the Shire's Planning Department via shire@mundaring.wa.gov.au or on 9290 6740.

Under State legislation, all local governments are required to review their local planning strategy and scheme periodically to ensure they consider contemporary planning, environmental, economic and social issues.  The first step in the review of the planning framework is updating the Local Planning Strategy, which will then enable the preparation of a new Local Planning Scheme.

A Local Planning Scheme facilitates the implementation of the Local Planning Strategy. It provides guidance through rules and more detailed definitions to interpret the strategy at a local level.  A local planning scheme is used daily by Shire staff and Councillors to help make decisions on all types of planning matters such as proposed land uses and proposed works.

A Local Planning Strategy is a high level and strategic document that sets out the framework for local planning and development over the next 10 to 15 years. The recommendations of the Local Planning Strategy will provide the basis for any changes to zoning and development standards set out in the Shire’s Local Planning Scheme.  All local governments in Western Australia are required to prepare a local planning strategy under State legislation.

Key changes in the new Local Planning Strategy and Local Planning Scheme may include:

• Alignment with State Government Planning Reform initiatives;
• Alignment with new State Planning Policies; and
• Response to local issues (informed by the community and stakeholder engagement process).

The Local Planning Strategy is a high level document that will identify broad strategies and key actions to be implemented at a Shire wide and neighbourhood level.  The Local Planning Strategy will not specify changes to individual property zoning.  However, the recommendations of the Strategy will inform the review of the Local Planning Scheme, which will consider possible changes to individual property zonings. Any changes to individual property zonings (if any) will be subject to separate landowner consultation at the time of the Scheme review.

A request for the Shire to consider the rezoning of an area needs to be made in writing and include, as a minimum:

• the address of the subject sites;
• an accurate description of the requested change in zoning and/or density coding;
• the reasons for the request;
• justification for the request (referencing any applicable State and Council Planning related strategies and/or policies);
• details about the likely effect of the proposal on the natural environment (for example on habitat trees, watercourses etc) and the surrounding land, in terms of (for example) traffic, access, and the proposed use of the land generally.

It is recommended that assistance from a Town Planning Consultant be sought when preparing the above request.

The Shire will generally not support spot rezonings.

The change in zoning and/or in a density coding of a single property, or what is considered to be a small area of land in isolation from the wider locality, is sometimes referred to as a 'spot rezoning'.  In any Local Planning Scheme it is important for zonings and density codings to be applied in an orderly and proper manner. Therefore the Shire will generally not support requests for a spot rezoning.  Instead, rezoning requests should apply to a broader area.

The Shire cannot comment on whether any proposed changes will affect property values.  It is recommended that you seek advice from a licensed property valuer to obtain information on this matter.

Please contact the Shire's Planning Department via shire@mundaring.wa.gov.au or on 9290 6740.