❓ The Minister for Planning outlines steps taken to remove planning barriers during the COVID-19 pandemic, including relaxed conditions for businesses, virtual meetings, and blanket exemptions for certain developments and activities.
AnsweredQoN 240Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CORONAVIRUS —
PLANNING PORTFOLIO
240. Mr J.N. CAREY to the Minister for Planning:
I refer to the impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic on Western Australian businesses and local governments. Can
the minister outline to the house what steps the government is taking to remove
barriers in our planning system so that businesses and local governments can
adapt during this period?
PLANNING PORTFOLIO
240. Mr J.N. CAREY to the Minister for Planning:
I refer to the impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic on Western Australian businesses and local governments. Can
the minister outline to the house what steps the government is taking to remove
barriers in our planning system so that businesses and local governments can
adapt during this period?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Perth for
that question.
The planning portfolio has an
important role to play in our COVID-19 response and will help the state respond
to the COVID crisis. The immediate focus has been to give our planning system
greater flexibility where it is warranted.
An early example was a collaboration with all local governments to relax
planning conditions and support extended
trading and delivery hours for our supermarkets. We are committed to continuing
to facilitate high-quality developments around the state. Over the past
few weeks, meetings of the development assessment panels, the statutory
planning committee and the state design review panel have all been convened in
virtual environments.
A new regulation is now in place to
provide for a blanket exemption from local planning scheme provisions in the
state of emergency. This provides flexibility for the government to mobilise
quickly for the benefit of the Western Australian community. Under amendments
to the planning and development regulations, as Minister for Planning I have
the authority to temporarily override requirements of local schemes and
existing conditions. A notice of exemption has now been issued providing a blanket
two-year exemption to be granted for all current development approvals to ensure
that those developments can proceed and there is not uncertainty about future
potential approvals at this stage. The notice of exemption also identifies
other matters that will no longer require planning
approvals across a number of essential community services during the state of
emergency, such as medical and health-related facilities required to
respond to the COVID-19 pandemic; truck and logistics companies needing to deliver goods across the community; restaurants
and cafes being required to sell takeaway only, which previously would have been in contravention of current
planning conditions but is now allowed; and people operating businesses from residential areas.
The notice also temporarily waives
any requirement to provide up to 10 car bays or cash in lieu for
non-residential developments to, again,
allow for more flexibility in how small business adapts to what is a very
difficult time. These exemptions will
be in place for the period of the state of emergency and are critical to make
sure that as a community we can work with small businesses, in
particular, to change and adapt to what is a very difficult period.
We are looking at not only COVID
response, but also COVID recovery. We are now moving to prioritise reforms to
ensure that we have a recovery package across the planning portfolio. These
reforms will not only ensure that the planning portfolio facilitates its part
in the recovery phase, but also look at how to improve the planning system over
the longer term. This includes bringing forward many of the planning reform
measures we have already announced. We are also looking at other measures to
help streamline the planning system and ensure that we can facilitate private
sector development together with government projects over the foreseeable
future. We believe the private sector,
together with the government, will play a major role in our economic recovery.
Not only the major projects that the government is delivering across the
portfolio, but also making sure that our planning system can facilitate private
sector development will be a key part of that recovery.
that question.
The planning portfolio has an
important role to play in our COVID-19 response and will help the state respond
to the COVID crisis. The immediate focus has been to give our planning system
greater flexibility where it is warranted.
An early example was a collaboration with all local governments to relax
planning conditions and support extended
trading and delivery hours for our supermarkets. We are committed to continuing
to facilitate high-quality developments around the state. Over the past
few weeks, meetings of the development assessment panels, the statutory
planning committee and the state design review panel have all been convened in
virtual environments.
A new regulation is now in place to
provide for a blanket exemption from local planning scheme provisions in the
state of emergency. This provides flexibility for the government to mobilise
quickly for the benefit of the Western Australian community. Under amendments
to the planning and development regulations, as Minister for Planning I have
the authority to temporarily override requirements of local schemes and
existing conditions. A notice of exemption has now been issued providing a blanket
two-year exemption to be granted for all current development approvals to ensure
that those developments can proceed and there is not uncertainty about future
potential approvals at this stage. The notice of exemption also identifies
other matters that will no longer require planning
approvals across a number of essential community services during the state of
emergency, such as medical and health-related facilities required to
respond to the COVID-19 pandemic; truck and logistics companies needing to deliver goods across the community; restaurants
and cafes being required to sell takeaway only, which previously would have been in contravention of current
planning conditions but is now allowed; and people operating businesses from residential areas.
The notice also temporarily waives
any requirement to provide up to 10 car bays or cash in lieu for
non-residential developments to, again,
allow for more flexibility in how small business adapts to what is a very
difficult time. These exemptions will
be in place for the period of the state of emergency and are critical to make
sure that as a community we can work with small businesses, in
particular, to change and adapt to what is a very difficult period.
We are looking at not only COVID
response, but also COVID recovery. We are now moving to prioritise reforms to
ensure that we have a recovery package across the planning portfolio. These
reforms will not only ensure that the planning portfolio facilitates its part
in the recovery phase, but also look at how to improve the planning system over
the longer term. This includes bringing forward many of the planning reform
measures we have already announced. We are also looking at other measures to
help streamline the planning system and ensure that we can facilitate private
sector development together with government projects over the foreseeable
future. We believe the private sector,
together with the government, will play a major role in our economic recovery.
Not only the major projects that the government is delivering across the
portfolio, but also making sure that our planning system can facilitate private
sector development will be a key part of that recovery.
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