❓ Mr. Norberger questions the Minister for Planning on actions addressing population growth, housing diversity, and urban expansion. The Minister responds by highlighting 'Directions 2031' and 'State Planning Policy 4.2', emphasizing urban consolidation targets and activity centre development.
AnsweredQoN 110Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
PLANNING —
URBAN EXPANSION
110. Mr J. NORBERGER to the
Minister for Planning:
Can the minister please advise the house what actions the
government has taken to respond to population growth and the increasing need to
provide for housing diversity and to contain urban expansion?
URBAN EXPANSION
110. Mr J. NORBERGER to the
Minister for Planning:
Can the minister please advise the house what actions the
government has taken to respond to population growth and the increasing need to
provide for housing diversity and to contain urban expansion?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question. I certainly agree that
population growth; demographic changes, including an ageing population; the
need to provide for a diverse range of housing, including affordable housing;
and the need to limit urban expansion in the Perth metropolitan area are very
important issues. After we came into government in 2008, we commissioned a
comprehensive review of the planning system in Western Australia, including in
relation to the strategic planning framework for the Perth metropolitan area
and the Peel region, and that resulted in ''Directions 2031 and beyond''
being made public in August 2010. That put in place what are generally regarded
as much more realistic targets for urban consolidation than the previous
government's targets. ''Direction 2031'' has a target of
47 per cent of new residential development being provided through urban infill
projects and 53 per cent through greenfields projects. In addition, there has
been a complete review of ''State Planning Policy 4.2: Activity Centres
for Perth and Peel'', also published in August 2010 in the Government Gazette . I note that the
Leader of the Opposition —
Mr M. McGowan : I
say something and you respond.
Mr J.H.D. DAY : We
have been talking about it for six years, but I thought —
Mr M. McGowan :
That's the way it seems to work.
Mr J.H.D. DAY : We
have been talking about these issues for six and a half years, but I thought a
little professional development for the Leader of the Opposition might not go
astray.
Several members interjected.
Mr
J.H.D. DAY : I will be gentle about it, but a little bit of education never
goes astray.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Victoria Park.
Mr J.H.D. DAY : The
Leader of the Opposition introduced a supposedly new concept and new word into
the planning vocabulary of ''hubs''. He came up with the word ''hubs''.
Mr B.S. Wyatt :
What's that word?
Mr J.H.D. DAY : A
four letter word, H-U-B-S. I think the Leader of the Opposition developed this
idea!
What he needs to realise, if he has not looked at ''State
Planning Policy 4.2'' or ''Directions 2031'' previously,
is I suggest he go to page 4145 of the Government
Gazette of 31 August 2010 and see listed there ''Activity Centres
Hierarchy''. It has ''Capital City'' at the top.
Mr B.S. Wyatt :
What section?
Mr J.H.D. DAY : The
next category is ''Strategic Metropolitan Centres'', including
Armadale, Cannington, Fremantle and Joondalup.
Several members interjected.
Mr J.H.D. DAY : I
know Mandurah is technically outside the metropolitan area, but for planning
purposes Mandurah and the Peel region are considered part of the Perth
metropolitan region. Also listed are Midland, Morley, Rockingham, Stirling and
Yanchep. Then there is a list of the secondary centres and district centres. I will
not go through all of those.
The concept of having regional
metropolitan development activity centres, the provision of employment
opportunities, diverse residential developments, appropriate cultural
facilities and sporting facilities in regional parts of the metropolitan area
and in the Peel region is certainly one that has been well recognised for many
years and has certainly been very much part of our planning system for the last
six and a half years. I could go into much more detail. For example, in
Armadale, a government investment of $50 million is expected to result in
private investment of about $400 million. We have seen examples of that in the
Forrestdale area, for example, where economic development is occurring. The
Hitachi construction group is building a new Western Australian headquarters
that will lead to employment opportunities for the south east metropolitan
area. A lot more of this sort of development and appropriate economic
development, the provision of industrial land and economic and employment
opportunities in non-CBD parts of the Perth metropolitan area, needs to happen,
but it is being provided for in the planning system.
A whole range of other actions have
occurred. There has been legislative change—the introduction of the
section 76 process, for example, whereby local governments can be required to
initiate planning scheme amendments, rather than the previous system in which
local governments were able to obstruct necessary planning changes—the
introduction of development assessment panels, the review of the residential
design codes to allow for more flexibility in relation to multiple unit
development, and also the provision of more flexibility for ancillary housing,
otherwise known as granny flats, in which people do not need to be related to
the owner. A whole range of changes have occurred in this area, and more will
be coming.
population growth; demographic changes, including an ageing population; the
need to provide for a diverse range of housing, including affordable housing;
and the need to limit urban expansion in the Perth metropolitan area are very
important issues. After we came into government in 2008, we commissioned a
comprehensive review of the planning system in Western Australia, including in
relation to the strategic planning framework for the Perth metropolitan area
and the Peel region, and that resulted in ''Directions 2031 and beyond''
being made public in August 2010. That put in place what are generally regarded
as much more realistic targets for urban consolidation than the previous
government's targets. ''Direction 2031'' has a target of
47 per cent of new residential development being provided through urban infill
projects and 53 per cent through greenfields projects. In addition, there has
been a complete review of ''State Planning Policy 4.2: Activity Centres
for Perth and Peel'', also published in August 2010 in the Government Gazette . I note that the
Leader of the Opposition —
Mr M. McGowan : I
say something and you respond.
Mr J.H.D. DAY : We
have been talking about it for six years, but I thought —
Mr M. McGowan :
That's the way it seems to work.
Mr J.H.D. DAY : We
have been talking about these issues for six and a half years, but I thought a
little professional development for the Leader of the Opposition might not go
astray.
Several members interjected.
Mr
J.H.D. DAY : I will be gentle about it, but a little bit of education never
goes astray.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Victoria Park.
Mr J.H.D. DAY : The
Leader of the Opposition introduced a supposedly new concept and new word into
the planning vocabulary of ''hubs''. He came up with the word ''hubs''.
Mr B.S. Wyatt :
What's that word?
Mr J.H.D. DAY : A
four letter word, H-U-B-S. I think the Leader of the Opposition developed this
idea!
What he needs to realise, if he has not looked at ''State
Planning Policy 4.2'' or ''Directions 2031'' previously,
is I suggest he go to page 4145 of the Government
Gazette of 31 August 2010 and see listed there ''Activity Centres
Hierarchy''. It has ''Capital City'' at the top.
Mr B.S. Wyatt :
What section?
Mr J.H.D. DAY : The
next category is ''Strategic Metropolitan Centres'', including
Armadale, Cannington, Fremantle and Joondalup.
Several members interjected.
Mr J.H.D. DAY : I
know Mandurah is technically outside the metropolitan area, but for planning
purposes Mandurah and the Peel region are considered part of the Perth
metropolitan region. Also listed are Midland, Morley, Rockingham, Stirling and
Yanchep. Then there is a list of the secondary centres and district centres. I will
not go through all of those.
The concept of having regional
metropolitan development activity centres, the provision of employment
opportunities, diverse residential developments, appropriate cultural
facilities and sporting facilities in regional parts of the metropolitan area
and in the Peel region is certainly one that has been well recognised for many
years and has certainly been very much part of our planning system for the last
six and a half years. I could go into much more detail. For example, in
Armadale, a government investment of $50 million is expected to result in
private investment of about $400 million. We have seen examples of that in the
Forrestdale area, for example, where economic development is occurring. The
Hitachi construction group is building a new Western Australian headquarters
that will lead to employment opportunities for the south east metropolitan
area. A lot more of this sort of development and appropriate economic
development, the provision of industrial land and economic and employment
opportunities in non-CBD parts of the Perth metropolitan area, needs to happen,
but it is being provided for in the planning system.
A whole range of other actions have
occurred. There has been legislative change—the introduction of the
section 76 process, for example, whereby local governments can be required to
initiate planning scheme amendments, rather than the previous system in which
local governments were able to obstruct necessary planning changes—the
introduction of development assessment panels, the review of the residential
design codes to allow for more flexibility in relation to multiple unit
development, and also the provision of more flexibility for ancillary housing,
otherwise known as granny flats, in which people do not need to be related to
the owner. A whole range of changes have occurred in this area, and more will
be coming.
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