❓ Mr. Alban asks the Minister for Planning about the new suburban design policy and how it will improve local neighbourhoods. The Minister details the policy's focus on walkability, transport access, and community facilities, and mentions related work on architectural design and design advisory panels.
AnsweredQoN 744Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WESTERN
AUSTRALIAN PLANNING COMMISSION — LIVEABLE NEIGHBOURHOODS
744. Mr F.A. ALBAN to the
Minister for Planning:
I understand that the minister recently launched a new
suburban design policy. Can he please update the house on how this policy will
improve local neighbourhoods?
AUSTRALIAN PLANNING COMMISSION — LIVEABLE NEIGHBOURHOODS
744. Mr F.A. ALBAN to the
Minister for Planning:
I understand that the minister recently launched a new
suburban design policy. Can he please update the house on how this policy will
improve local neighbourhoods?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question.
I was pleased to launch a draft of the revised liveable neighbourhoods design
policy just last Friday when I attended the Planning Institute of Australia's
Western Australian division state conference. I must say there was a very
impressive range of speakers, one being former Lord Mayor of Sydney, Mrs Lucy
Turnbull, who participated by video link because she was unwell and unable to
travel to Perth, but I must say it was a very impressive presentation.
The revised liveable neighbourhoods
design policy is very important in the design of major subdivisions and
suburbs. The current version has been in operation since the late 1980s, and it
plays a very important role in addressing issues of liveability, walkability,
transport access and so on in relation to the development of new neighbourhoods.
The draft revised policy has a greater focus on designing places so that local
community facilities can be accessed by residents by walking, cycling or public
transport, rather than an overreliance on the use of motor vehicles, and that
is appropriate in contemporary terms. There is also policy guidance on where to
develop activity centres and provide local shopping, commercial and employment
opportunities. The document is available for public comment on the Department
of Planning website until 13 November.
In conjunction with the revised
liveable neighbourhoods policy, a lot of work is also being done in the
Department of Planning, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, on the
architectural design of buildings, particularly larger residential building
developments—apartment developments. With the increased reliance on and
number of these sorts of developments being undertaken in the Perth
metropolitan area in particular, it is essential that we have good design
outcomes, and the preparation of a draft state planning policy on architectural
design principles for multi-residential developments is currently underway, as
well as a best practice model for design advisory panels to be used by state
and local government bodies in assessing development applications. A discussion
paper is also being put together on the possibility of mandating that
large-scale developments be designed by a registered architect or other
accredited design professional to ensure that we get high-quality design
outcomes.
I was pleased to launch a draft of the revised liveable neighbourhoods design
policy just last Friday when I attended the Planning Institute of Australia's
Western Australian division state conference. I must say there was a very
impressive range of speakers, one being former Lord Mayor of Sydney, Mrs Lucy
Turnbull, who participated by video link because she was unwell and unable to
travel to Perth, but I must say it was a very impressive presentation.
The revised liveable neighbourhoods
design policy is very important in the design of major subdivisions and
suburbs. The current version has been in operation since the late 1980s, and it
plays a very important role in addressing issues of liveability, walkability,
transport access and so on in relation to the development of new neighbourhoods.
The draft revised policy has a greater focus on designing places so that local
community facilities can be accessed by residents by walking, cycling or public
transport, rather than an overreliance on the use of motor vehicles, and that
is appropriate in contemporary terms. There is also policy guidance on where to
develop activity centres and provide local shopping, commercial and employment
opportunities. The document is available for public comment on the Department
of Planning website until 13 November.
In conjunction with the revised
liveable neighbourhoods policy, a lot of work is also being done in the
Department of Planning, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, on the
architectural design of buildings, particularly larger residential building
developments—apartment developments. With the increased reliance on and
number of these sorts of developments being undertaken in the Perth
metropolitan area in particular, it is essential that we have good design
outcomes, and the preparation of a draft state planning policy on architectural
design principles for multi-residential developments is currently underway, as
well as a best practice model for design advisory panels to be used by state
and local government bodies in assessing development applications. A discussion
paper is also being put together on the possibility of mandating that
large-scale developments be designed by a registered architect or other
accredited design professional to ensure that we get high-quality design
outcomes.
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