DIANELLA LOCAL AREA PLAN - City of Stirling

City of Stirling 

Dianella Local Area Plan 

February 2007

DIANELLA LOCAL AREA PLAN 

CONTENTS 

PART 1 SUMMARY & LOCAL AREA STRATEGY 2 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3 

LOCAL AREA STRATEGY 7 

PART 2 BACKGROUND STUDY 12 

1 INTRODUCTION 13 

1.1 INTRODUCTION 13 

1.2 BACKGROUND 14 

1.3 WHAT IS LOCAL AREA PLANNING? 15 

2 PLANNING CONTEXT 18 

2.1 REGIONAL CONTEXT 18 

2.2 METROPOLITAN PLANNING FRAMEWORK 19 

2.3 CITY OF STIRLING PLANNING FRAMEWORK 22 

2.4 LOCAL PLANS AND PROJECTS 24 

3 LOCAL AREA PROFILE 29 

3.1 STUDY AREA 29 

3.2 HISTORICAL OVERVIEW 30 

3.3 SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROFILE 32 

3.4 NATURAL & BUILT ENVIRONMENT PROFILE 36 

4 COMMUNITY VISION & VALUES 45 

4.1 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS 45 

4.2 KEY CONSULTATION FINDINGS 48 

4.3 OTHER PUBLIC CONSULTATION FINDINGS 57 

5 KEY ISSUES & OPPORTUNITIES 58 

5.1 OPEN SPACE & THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT 58 

5.2 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT & FACILITIES 60 

5.3 TRANSPORT & INFRASTRUCTURE 63 

5.4 ECONOMY AND EMPLOYMENT 65 

5.5 HOUSING & THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT 68 

5.6 KEY OPPORTUNITIES MAP 71

PART 1 

SUMMARY & 

LOCAL AREA STRATEGY 

CITY OF STIRLING 

2 

DIANELLA LOCAL AREA PLAN

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

The Dianella Local Area Plan is the inaugural plan in the City’s new 

Local Area Planning initiative and represents a ‘pilot’ for this project. 

The initiative introduces a new approach to planning and 

management within the City of Stirling that focuses on integrated 

planning within twelve defined localities that make up the City. 

The local area planning system acknowledges that the City is not 

uniform in character and function and that community values and 

issues of concern can vary from place to place. Developing Local 

Area Plans provides a focus on smaller areas and allows local 

issues and the uniqueness of the area to be explored in greater 

depth, whilst still considering the impact of the area’s regional 

context. The process also enables closer, more comprehensive 

consultation with the local community at the start of the planning 

process so that they may be actively involved in the development of 

the plan. Local community consultation also aims to create a better 

exchange of knowledge and experiences between the City and its 

residents and among the community itself, thus building better 

understanding and stronger ties. 

A key objective of this new initiative is to produce a vision to guide 

the future development and management of each local area. This 

vision is developed through community consultation and an in-depth 

analysis of the characteristics and needs of each local area. The 

Dianella Local Area Plan aims to instigate actions and guide 

decisions that will work towards the realisation of the community’s 

vision for the future. To assist in this, a Local Area Strategy is 

provided in Part 1 of the Plan. This strategy sets out the principal 

objectives to be achieved in the Dianella Local Area over the 

coming decade. The objectives are set out under each of the plan’s 

five Outcome Areas and examples are provided of the City’s current 

initiatives and future opportunities to achieve each objective. 

Further opportunities and initiatives to achieve these objectives will 

be developed as part of an ongoing Action and Implementation 

Programme that will be developed following adoption of the Local 

Area Plan. This programme will identify key actions that are 

community priorities that will be pursued over the next 6-24 months, 

as well as other longer-term initiatives, which may require more 

time to investigate, plan and fund before they can be pursued. The 

Action and Implementation Programme will be updated periodically 

and milestones reported back to Council and the community. 

In addition to the Local Area Strategy, the Plan provides information 

and direction for the City’s officers and Councillors for planning and 

decision-making related to the Dianella Local Area. Part 2 of the 

Plan - the Background Study, provides information and analysis that 

can inform business planning and budget allocations, guide 

assessment of development and other proposals, and assist 

planning of activities and projects in the local area. The City and 

other stakeholders, such State agencies, developers and 

individuals in the community, can refer to this plan to ensure 

proposals and decisions are consistent with both the community’s 

aspirations and the plan’s strategic direction. 

The Dianella Local Area Plan guides the future of the area for the 

coming 10 - 15 years and should be reviewed within 10 years. The 

community must be kept up to date with progress and proposals. 


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The Dianella Local Area encompasses the suburb of Dianella and 

small adjoining parts of Mirrabooka, Nollamara and Yokine that fall 

within major road or land use barriers. Key features of the area 

include Perth’s three commercial television stations, Yokine 

Reservoir, Mirrabooka Regional Centre and Dianella Regional 

Open Space. Development in Dianella is predominately low density 

residential (R20 - R30) and the style, condition and age of dwellings 

varies considerably. Other land uses include over 150 hectares of 

parks and bushland reserves, a variety of commercial centres, a 

small industrial complex and community facilities such as the City’s 

buildings, schools and churches. 

The local area population is characterised as an older population, 

although not predominately ‘aged’, with a fairly low proportion of 

children. Traditional ‘nuclear family’ households constitute only one 

third of all households in the area, with 64% of all dwellings having 

only one or two occupants. Another defining characteristic of the 

population is its strong ethnic and cultural diversity. The population 

is growing at a fairly slow rate and is forecast to grow from 

approximately 22,600 people in 2006 to 25,000 in the next ten 

years. Due to the area’s established nature and low-density 

zonings, major growth or significant changes to the characteristics 

of the population are not expected over the coming decade. 

This plan brings together the outcomes of a specifically designed 

community consultation program with the broader strategic 

objectives of the City of Stirling. A three-stage community 

engagement process was designed to gain the active involvement 

of the local community and relevant stakeholders in planning for 

issues such as community development, recreation, transport, 

employment and housing. 

Consultation began with a government and community group 

workshop involving a ‘triple bottom line SWOT analysis’ - identifying 

economic, social and environmental strengths, weaknesses, 

opportunities and threats. A community survey was then sent to 

4,000 local residents and the responses have captured an accurate 

and comprehensive picture of the community’s current values and 

attitudes towards the locality, and their aspirations for the future. 

The ‘Dialogue with Dianella’, was a large, innovative meeting of 135 

residents and stakeholders, designed to enable multiple small 

group discussions to be brought together as one large community 

dialogue. Participants discussed personal and group objectives, 

ideas and concerns, and voted on key themes to create community 

priorities, which formed the basis of the vision for the future: 

The community vision for the Dianella Local Area is for 

it to have a green leafy character dominated by trees, 

parks and bushland. Key precincts will become more 

vibrant through improved commercial and community 

amenities and an active, diverse community, yet the 

area will maintain the feeling of a safe place to be. 

Improvements will be sought in areas of concern, such 

as transport and housing choices, yet in 2020 the area 

will still feel quite similar to how it does today. 

The majority of residents of the Dianella Local Area are generally 

quite happy with their local area as a place to live. This is due to 

moderate to high levels of satisfaction with the area’s appearance 

and location, the available amenities, safety and security, and the 

mix and amount of people living there. The community does not 

want to see major change to the overall nature or appearance of the 

locality, rather they want improvements in certain precincts and 

strengthening or protecting of existing positive features. 


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A key matter for improvement is strengthening the local area’s 

identity. Currently Dianella does not have an identifiable character 

or image that makes it unique and distinct from other suburbs and 

most residents feel the character of the area could be improved. 

Physical changes due to urban infill, combined with rising 

environmental awareness, have led to more community concern for 

protecting and improving the natural character of the local area. The 

most important and commonly held community priority is to both 

protect existing bushland, vegetation, trees and spaces, and to 

improve landscaping, plantings and open spaces. This will protect 

what is special about the area and build on the desired green leafy 

character to develop a more distinctive locality. 

Local identity can also be enhanced by developing streetscape or 

street tree themes for specific precincts and landscaping verges, 

reserves and private gardens with locally native plants. Widespread 

planting of the Dianella plant could also create a unique and 

meaningful landscape character. The City and residents can both 

be involved in improving landscaping and protecting the natural 

character of the area. The City should also continue to investigate 

the possibilities for protecting important trees and bushland on land 

not owned or managed by the City. 

Another key area for desired improvement is community cohesion 

and activity. A clear lack of a sense of community has been 

identified and building ‘a vibrant suburb with community spirit’ is 

central to the vision for future. Community bonds can be built 

through local events and activities, improving places where people 

can meet and socialise, and more physical activity that brings 

people out onto the street or taking part in activities were they can 

meet and interact. A stronger community can also come through 

residents becoming more involved in planning and decision making 

that affects their local area and their daily lives. The local area 

planning process is improving the way in which the City and its 

communities work together. 

Vibrancy and community spirit can also be enhanced by developing 

focal points for community interaction. It is clear that Dianella lacks 

a central community heart, where people can meet, interact and 

socialise and it is also evident that the community facilities the City 

provides are not attracting a broad cross section of the community. 

The redevelopment and consolidation of the City’s social and 

cultural facilities at a central location within the local area could 

provide a strong community hub. The activities and people drawn to 

this centre can generate the vibrancy and appeal to create a 

‘community heart’, particularly when connected to other amenities 

such as commercial or recreational centres. 

The Dianella Plaza Precinct is centrally located in the local area yet 

lacks vitality and community appeal. Improving the appearance and 

function of this area, especially redevelopment of derelict buildings, 

is a top priority to the community. The Plaza Precinct offers a great 

location for the development of a community social hub. Residents 

have also identified that dining and evening entertainment are the 

main things missing in the local area that they would like to access 

locally. Such development is also possible within the Plaza Precinct 

and the community would like to see more variety of activities there. 

This may include commercial, social, community or residential 

development, and there is community support for increased 

residential densities in this area to provide the critical mass to 

support and enjoy such facilities. 

Improvements in other key locations will also further enhance other 

important community focal points in the local area. The ongoing 


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implementation of the Mirrabooka Regional Centre Improvement 

Strategy and the forthcoming Dianella Regional Open Space 

Master Plan will both enable enhancement of these important 

precincts. The Mirrabooka Regional Centre is one of the City of 

Stirling’s largest commercial centres and is the principal location for 

retail, services, entertainment, business and employment for the 

north-east of the City. The Improvement Strategy aims to create a 

vibrant ‘lifestyle street’ and bring more commercial diversity to the 

local area. New residential and mixed-use development in this 

precinct will also facilitate the vibrancy many in the Dianella Local 

Area community are looking for. The Master Plan for Dianella 

Regional Open Space will further establish this favourite community 

location as the key recreational hub of the local area. 

There is not a strong demand, support or need for widespread 

increases in densities within the residential areas of Dianella. The 

survey has shown that 41% of residents want densities to stay as is 

or be lowered, 16% want densities to be increased, and the 

remaining 43% show some support for increases in densities but do 

not want changes in the area where they live. If the residential 

density codings of the area are maintained as they are, there are 

still sufficient opportunities for ongoing urban infill to provide for 

anticipated population growth over the coming decade. Maintaining 

existing density codings will also limit the loss of ‘green character’ 

(gardens and street trees) that increased densities would create. 

The Special Purpose Dwelling provisions of the R-Codes currently 

provide the best incentives for increasing housing choice for 

Dianella’s growing seniors, single and couple households. The 

City’s forthcoming Local Housing Strategy and District Planning 

Scheme No. 3 will also offer additional opportunities to encourage 

more housing choice to meet the local population’s needs. 

Other areas with opportunities for additional housing, particularly of 

higher density or mixed-use, include the Mirrabooka Regional 

Centre and Dianella Plaza Precinct and possibly the Media Precinct 

and the Industrial Precinct. The poor appearance of the industrial 

precinct is also a significant issue of concern and a study of the 

industrial area’s worth from land use, economic, amenity and 

community perspectives is needed to form the basis of a strategy to 

clarify its future direction. 

The community also feels that the local transport network is too 

focused on car use. Heavy reliance on personal car transport is a 

major issue for metropolitan Perth, in the face of increasing petrol 

prices and a looming oil crisis, increasing traffic congestion, air 

pollution and global warming, this dependence on cars is 

unsustainable. The Dianella local community has shown a clear 

preference for more planning and development of pedestrian and 

cyclist infrastructure instead of vehicle infrastructure. State and 

local government funding priorities must be modified to place more 

emphasis on the non-car movement network. 

The introduction of the ‘Travelsmart’ project to the City of Stirling 

offers a great opportunity to work with the State government and 

local communities to promote and increase walking, cycling and 

public transport use. The City must support this with a solid local 

network of footpaths and cycle routes connecting homes to shops, 

schools, parks, other community facilities and places of 

employment. This is highly desired by the Dianella community. It is 

also imperative that the City continues to plan and maintain a safe 

an attractive environment to encourage walking and cycling within 

the Dianella Local Area. 


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LOCAL AREA STRATEGY 

OUTCOME AREA OBJECTIVE EXAMPLES OF SPECIFIC INITIATIVES & OPPORTUNITIES 

COMMUNITY 

DEVELOPMENT 

& FACILITIES 

(SP) = Related to 

initiatives and outcomes 

of the City of Stirling 

Strategic Plan 2004/2008 

Development of a community social 

and cultural hub within Dianella. 

Providing and encouraging social, 

cultural and recreational events and 

activities that bring people together. 

Working with special needs groups 

and different sectors of the community 

to support their aspirations. 

Improving the community’s access to 

information and decision-making 

regarding the local area. 

• Develop a plan for a new City of Stirling multifunction centre within 

Dianella for social and cultural activities. 

• Further investigate opportunities within the Plaza Precinct. 

• Assess opportunities for improving the social link of Waverly-Pola 

Reserve to the Plaza Precinct. 

• Finalise and Implement Dianella Regional Open Space Masterplan (SP) 

• Continue events such as Mirrabooka Picnics by the Pond and Concerts 

at Dianella Regional Open Space. (SP) 

• Encourage ‘good neighbourliness’ initiatives (SP), such as providing 

guidance for local street parties or other resident activated activities. 

• Identify interest in a ‘Follow My Lead’ local walking group. 

• Continue to work with local youth and groups such as the City’s Youth 

Advisory Committee. 

• Continue to work with seniors groups such as Dianella Retirees Assoc. 

• Celebrate and promote Dianella’s cultural diversity. 

• Examine interest in a Dianella residents and ratepayers group. (SP) 

• Continue to update the Local Area Planning web page. (SP) 

• Investigate the development of a ‘What’s happening in the Dianella 

Local Area’ web page. (SP) 

• Pursue establishing a Stirling and community notice board at shopping 

centres with information specific to the Dianella Local Area. 

• Conduct a Travelsmart and Community Safety Expo in the Local Area. 


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OPEN SPACE 

& THE NATURAL 

ENVIRONMENT 

(SP) = Related to initiatives 

and outcomes of the City of 

Stirling Strategic Plan 

2004/2008 

Preparation of a Dianella Local Area 

Public Open Space Plan. 

Strengthening and improving 

natural streetscapes. 

Identifying opportunities for 

increased conservation. 

Becoming a more sustainable Local 

Area. 

• Adoption of the Public Open Space Strategy to guide development and 

management of the City’s extensive parks and reserves network. (SP) 

• Identify locations for ‘Community Parks’ in the local area. (SP) 

• Identify local precincts with a shortfall of open space and examine 

opportunities for increasing access to local parks. 

• Identify locations and funding opportunities for increasing facilities on 

certain parks and reserves. 

• Examine opportunities for developing streetscape themes for different 

precincts within the local area. 

• Continue the City’s program of street tree and verge plantings and 

maintenance. (SP) 

• Support residents who would like additional street trees in their street. 

• Use the Dianella flower in landscaping projects, such as local centre 

upgrades. 

• Further investigate opportunities and support for protection of trees on 

privately owned land. 

• Pursue the retention of further bushland conservation should non-City 

owned sites become available. 

• Establish development standards such as building envelopes for any 

expansion or redevelopment within the Media Precinct. 

• Development of the City’s long term sustainability strategy. (SP) 

• Include initiatives and actions of the sustainability strategy in periodic 

reviews of the Dianella Local Area Implementation and Action Plan. 

• Ongoing promotion of the City’s single bin recycling program. 

• Review waste management and recycling from parks and reserves. 

• Example ‘Waterwise’ and sustainable public open space reserves 

within the Dianella Local Area. 


8 



TRANSPORT 

& 

INFRASTRUCTURE 




2004/2008 

Establishing walking and cycling as 

preferred transport for short trips 

within the Dianella Local Area. 

Encouraging mutual support 

between the community and service 

providers for the Local Area’s public 

transport network. 

Increasing community awareness of 

transport choices and services. 

Working with service providers to 

ensure a high quality infrastructure 

network in the Dianella Local Area. 

• Promote the City’s Bike Plan through the internet, and through schools, 

commercial centres and recreational centres in the Local Area. 

• Identify opportunities for improved cycle networks, such as dual use 

paths or cycle lanes along major roads connecting to commercial 

centres and major open space reserves in the local area. (SP) 

• Trial a TravelSmart walking project within the local area to promote 

walking to local schools or commercial centres. 

• Continue supporting resident’s requests for footpaths to be developed 

in their street. (SP) 

• Continue to provide safe and inviting streets and environments for 

walking and cycling. 

• Implementation of the TravelSmart Household project in Dianella to 

encourage more public transport use. 

• Work with Public Transit Authority and the Department for Planning 

and Infrastructure on ongoing enhancement of local public transport. 

• Upgrading of the Mirrabooka bus station by the Public Transit Authority 

as part of the Mirrabooka Regional Centre Improvement Strategy. 

• Continue promotion of the TravelSmart program on the City’s website 

and introduce additional promotion within the local area as part of the 

Travelsmart Household implementation, such as a TravelSmart Expo. 

• Investigate new mechanisms for requesting new footpaths and road 

and footpath maintenance, and for reporting traffic problems on the 

City’s website. (SP) 

• Investigate possibilities and community support for precincts within the 

southern half of Dianella to be included in the State Underground 

Power Program. (SP) 

• Continue to develop and implement the City’s capital works program. 


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ECONOMY 

& 

EMPLOYMENT 

Ensuring the community has access 

to a range of commercial centres 

providing for a variety of needs. 

Improving the function, appearance 

and attraction of commercial 

centres in the Local Area. 

Defining and facilitating the future 

direction of the Dianella Industrial 

Precinct. 

Harnessing unique economic 

opportunities in the Local Area. 

• Maintain and protect the existing hierarchy of commercial centres 

within the local area – local, neighbourhood, district and regional. 

• Continue to implement the Mirrabooka Regional Centre Improvement 

Strategy to establish it as the principal centre for the region. (SP) 

• Pursue improvements or redevelopment within the Dianella Plaza 

Precinct. 

• List the remaining local centres in Dianella on the City’s Local 

Commercial Centre Improvement Plan. (SP) 

• Develop a local commercial colour palette. 

• Promote mixed-use development within commercial precincts. (SP) 

• Support the redevelopment of vacated commercial and service station 

sites. 

• Conduct a study of the future options for the Industrial Precinct and 

adopt a strategy for improvement or redevelopment. (SP) 

• Investigate short term measures for improving the streetscape of the 

industrial precinct prior to implementation of the strategy. 

• Explore economic and cultural opportunities from the Media Precinct. 

• Explore economic and cultural opportunities from the Local Area’s 

cultural diversity. 




2004/2008 

Supporting the provision of small 

business and employment in the 

Dianella Local Area. 

• Continue to support low impact home business operation within the 

local area. (SP) 

• Develop a home business web page and information kit for those 

interested in establishing a home business within the City of Stirling. 


10 



HOUSING 

& THE BUILT 

ENVIRONMENT 




2004/2008 

Maintaining the low-density green 

character of the Dianella Local Area. 

Ensuring sufficient opportunities for 

housing development to meet State 

and local government objectives. 

Providing opportunities for small 

areas of increased density at 

strategic locations. 

Encouraging more housing choice 

to meet the current and future needs 

of the population. 

Improving the sustainability and 

efficiency of building design. 

• Maintain the majority of current residential density zonings in the Local 

Area as they are. 

• Continue to apply Council’s Landscaping Policy and Street Tree 

Removal Policy to applicable new development in the Local Area. 

• Review the possibility of expanding the City’s Landscaping Policy to 

cover all new single houses, aged persons and group dwellings. 

• Increase residential density and development within commercial 

precincts. 

• Review residential densities in the local area, in consultation with the 

local community, again in 10 - 15 years. 

• Identify support for increased densities at locations identified in the 

‘Opportunities Map’ - (SP) 

-R20 zoned sites opposite Dianella Plaza; 

-R20 zoned sites south of Mirrabooka Regional Centre; 

-R20 zoned sites along Nollamara Ave & Hancock Street opposite 

R40 zoned land. 

(Note: rezoning should be for a street or cluster of lots not individual lots) 

• Finalise and implement the City’s Local Housing Strategy. 

• Aged person and single bedroom dwellings to be permitted 

development in the local area. (SP) 

• Examine opportunities to encourage developers to provide more 

special purpose, affordable and smaller dwellings. (SP) 

• Introduction of the BASIX building sustainability assessment system 

(subject to State Government direction). (SP) 

• Development of an example ‘sustainable house’. 


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PART 2 

BACKGROUND STUDY 


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1 INTRODUCTION 

1.1 Introduction 

The Dianella Local Area Plan is the inaugural plan in the City’s new 

Local Area Planning initiative and represents a ‘pilot’ for this project. 

The initiative introduces a new approach to planning by the City of 

Stirling that brings it down to a local focus and encourages 

integrated planning and management at the community level. 

The Dianella Local Area Plan brings together the outcomes of a 

specifically design community consultation program with the 

broader strategic objectives of the City of Stirling to build a vision for 

the future of the locality. The plan aims to instigate actions and 

guide decisions that will work towards the realisation of this vision. 

This document presents a detailed profile of the local area - its 

people, its character and its environment. This profile provides a 

context for analysing what makes this area special, what its future 

needs will be, and how it relates to the wider metropolitan region. 

The community’s input has been central to profiling and analysing 

the area, through the examination of local issues and opportunities 

and the sharing of aspirations for the area. Community involvement 

has also been central to the development of the vision for the future 

of the Dianella Local Area and in the identification of priorities for 

action to bring this vision to fruition. 


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1.2 Background 

The notion of introducing Local Area Planning into the planning 

system of the City of Stirling was first raised in discussion during 

2004 as an example of a process for reviewing residential density. 

The concept of using the system for more holistic local planning, 

rather than purely for density review, was then explored, and it was 

subsequently included on the list of key strategic planning initiatives 

to be considered as part of a review of the City’s Strategic Plan 

during 2005. Considerable research and analysis on the concepts 

and practice of local-area style planning was subsequently 

undertaken by Council planning staff, to identify options for the City 

of Stirling. Discussions and briefing sessions with Council, 

executive staff and affected business units were also undertaken to 

examine how such a system would operate within the City. 

In October 2005 a Local Area Planning Project Proposal was 

presented to Council and Council subsequently resolved that the 

objectives of the project and the proposed local area planning 

boundaries be endorsed, and that a Pilot Local Area Planning Study 

be initiated. A pilot project was proposed so that the principles and 

methodology of the process could be tested, before application City 

wide. The Dianella Local Area was chosen as the pilot area, for a 

number of strategic reasons, with the project to commence in early 

2006. Council also endorsed the commissioning of consultants to 

assist in community consultation for the pilot project. 

JHK Quality Consultants were appointed in February 2006 to 

design and implement a programme specifically for Dianella. JHK 

designed a community engagement process to gain the active 

involvement of the local community and relevant stakeholders in the 

discovery of issues and opportunities, developing a vision and 

identifying community priorities. The consultation process was 

conducted over March and April 2006 and used a number of 

techniques to inform, motivate and engage the community in the 

project. Three key events were conducted to gather information for 

the preparation of a plan for the local area, these were: 

‣ Expert and stakeholder groups workshop - a triple bottom 

line Strengths/Weaknesses/Opportunities/Threats analysis. 

‣ Community survey - postal survey to 4,000 randomly 

selected local residents. 

‣ Dialogue with Dianella - an innovative one-day community 

planning forum. 

The information gathered from these events was then collated and 

analysed for incorporation into this plan (the key results are 

presented in Chapter 4). As well as the information gathered from 

community input, considerable empirical research on the local area 

was also conducted to provide information both to the community 

and to this plan. The preparation of this Local Area Plan has also 

involved analysis of a wide variety of documents, plans and policies 

that affect the area, the City of Stirling and the Perth region. The 

resulting plan thus provides a synthesis of strategic planning 

documents and community aspirations. Another integral aspect of 

preparing this plan was working across the City’s business units 

and with other relevant stakeholders to develop integrated 

strategies to implement the plan and to work together towards the 

Dianella Local Area community vision. 


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1.3 What is Local Area Planning? 

Local area planning is a contemporary approach to planning that 

concentrates on planning for a defined area, rather than broad 

plans that cover the entire City, or strategies based on individual 

issues. This approach allows a comprehensive range of issues to 

be considered at both the local and regional level and addresses 

issues through integrated planning strategies. Local area planning 

requires a holistic approach to planning which seeks to incorporate 

stakeholders and community members into the planning process in 

a collaborative approach to community building. It is a proactive, 

rather than reactive, process that enables the integration of social, 

environmental and economic initiatives into one plan that guides 

both the short and longer term direction of a local area. 

This method of planning is used extensively in Australia and 

internationally and is increasing in prominence in Western Australia, 

both within local governments and State planning agencies. Local 

area planning is similar to precinct planning or place planning in that 

it involves preparing a plan for an identified geographical area in 

order to facilitate development, change or better management 

within that area. The size of the subject area can vary - boundaries 

can be defined by a number of criteria, such as land use, character, 

population and physical boundaries. However the size of the area 

selected is based more so on management systems and the 

objectives of the project. 

Local area planning in the City of Stirling divides the large 

municipality into smaller areas to enable more fine-grained 

planning, community consultation and management. The local area 

planning system acknowledges that the City is not uniform in 

character and function and that community values and issues of 

concern can vary from place to place. A focus on smaller areas 

allows local issues and the uniqueness of the area to be explored in 

greater depth, whilst considering the impact of the area’s regional 

context. The process also enables closer, more comprehensive 

consultation with the local community at the start of the planning 

process, rather than just presenting plans to the community and 

asking them to accept them. More community involvement also 

creates a better exchange of knowledge and experiences between 

the City and its residents and among the community itself, thus 

building better understanding and stronger ties. Twelve individual 

local areas have been identified within the City of Stirling (shown 

overleaf). Each local area is an area of a manageable size with a 

somewhat similar character, that is generally defined by physical 

and identifiable boundaries, such as major roads, suburb 

boundaries and changes in land use character or density. 

Another major objective of local area planning is that it facilitates 

integrated planning – different disciplines and stakeholders working 

together on one plan that addresses many issues or topics. This 

requires stakeholders to share information and their objectives or 

aspirations for the area and enables them to work together to 

develop common goals for the future direction of the area. 

Integrated planning can avoid the conflicts and contradictions which 

can often arise when issues are addressed in isolation to oneanother. 

The City’s local area plans are not just planning 

department documents, they are strategies, reference documents 

and decision making guides for all the City’s business units, for 

Council, developers, land owners and the community. 


15 



16 


Local Area Planning Principles 

A set of guiding principles have been established to guide the 

operation of the local area planning programme and the preparation 

of each local area plan. These principles are: 

Sustainability 

Sustainability requires balancing the current and future needs of the 

community, the environment and the economy to provide quality of 

life for today and tomorrow’s communities. 

Integration 

Local area planning requires an integrated approach to planning 

and management. The process of planning must bring together 

many stakeholders and the product must bring together a 

comprehensive range of issues. Integrated planning enables better 

coordination and more efficient management. 

Communication 

Local area planning is an effective tool for improving the City’s 

communication with the public. Integration and implementation of 

plans will also require strong communication with stakeholders. 

Public Participation 

Public involvement in local area planning is crucial to its success. 

All those with a stake in a local area’s future must be actively 

encouraged to be involved, through collaborative planning. 

Prioritisation 

Local area planning acknowledges that different communities have 

different priorities. Local area plans will recognise, emphasise and 

respond to the key issues identified as community priorities. 

Objectives 

The objectives of the Local Area Planning programme for the City of 

Stirling are: 

‣ To review key planning issues, policies and forces acting on 

local areas within the City and develop a coordinated 

response to these; 

‣ To identify specific ‘opportunities’ and 'constraints' within 

each local area and develop strategies to address these; 

‣ To develop a commonly embraced 'vision' for each local 

area which recognises areas of local significance and key 

attributes contributing to each area's sense of place; 

‣ To identify issues of priority to the local community and work 

with them to developing practical solutions to these, within 

the context of a regional framework; 

‣ To foster open lines of communication between the City and 

the community; 

‣ To create a sound and comprehensible statutory and 

strategic planning framework for each local area to allow 

delivery of the vision and plan; and 

‣ To help ensure that each local area operates in a 

sustainable way and in balance with surrounding precincts 

and other areas of influence. 


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2 PLANNING CONTEXT 

2.1 Regional Context 

The Dianella Local Area is one of twelve identified ‘local areas’ that 

make up the City of Stirling. The precinct lies along the eastern side 

of the City with the local area boundaries generally following the 

suburb of Dianella and abutting the suburbs of Mirrabooka, 

Nollamara, Yokine and Inglewood. Dianella is a middle metropolitan 

suburb, located approximately 8km from the Perth city centre and is 

characterised as a low-density residential area. 

The local area also abuts the City of Bayswater along its eastern 

side, including the suburbs of Noranda, Morley and Bedford. 

Noranda and Bedford are somewhat similar to Dianella in character 

and function, being established low-density residential areas. 

Morley is designated as a Strategic Regional Centre under the state 

Metropolitan Centres Policy and is the major focus for commercial 

activity in the region. Morley contains a large amount of retail 

development, focused on Galleria shopping centre, yet also plays 

an important role in providing business, entertainment, health and 

professional services to the region. Much of the residential land in 

Morley is zoned high-density residential so that more people will be 

able to live close to this employment centre and support the 

commercial activities. The Dianella Local Area also contains its own 

retail and commercial centres, including the Mirrabooka Regional 

Centre to the north of the precinct, and the Inglewood Town Centre 

is just south of the local area. The Perth city centre is also important 

in terms of providing employment to Dianella residents, as well as 

additional services to supplement those available locally. Another 

regional employment centre is the Malaga industrial precinct, to the 

north-east of the local area. 

Residents of the Dianella Local Area also benefit from a range of 

recreation and community facilities within close proximity. The area 

itself contains two large sport and recreation reserves – Dianella 

Regional Open Space and Breckler Park, whilst Mt Yokine Golf 

Course and Macaulay Park are nearby. Herb Graham Recreation 

Centre in the north of the precinct and Terry Tyzack Aquatic Centre 

to the south provide a range of recreation opportunities to residents. 

The local area also contains several public and private schools and 

residents have access to tertiary education at Edith Cowan 

University in Mount Lawley and Balga TAFE. 


18 


2.2 Metropolitan Planning Framework 

The following review of the principal State government planning 

documents provides an overview of the statutory and strategic 

planning framework that operates within the Perth metropolitan 

region. The Dianella Local Area sits within this metropolitan context 

and the plan for the locality and any future development must be 

consistent with the objectives and requirements of these 

documents. 

State Sustainability Strategy 

The State Sustainability Strategy, released by the Department of 

Premier and Cabinet in 2003, is designed as a whole of government 

strategy to promote sustainability in government, private sector and 

community activities. It establishes a framework of sustainability 

principles, visions and goals across key issues such as urban 

settlements and natural resource protection. This is followed by 

examples and actions for governments, business and community 

members to follow, stressing the need for a triple bottom line 

approach to development, which encompasses environmental, 

social and economic sustainability. The local area planning project 

is a major initiative by the City of Stirling to work towards its own 

mission of ‘Creating quality lifestyle and sustainable development’. 

Local area planning encompasses the triple bottom line approach 

and aims to balance community, environmental and economic 

needs. Key aims and objectives of the State Sustainability Strategy 

that local area planning can facilitate include: 

• The development and application, in consultation with the 

community, of a range of techniques and initiatives that will 

contribute to the sustainability and regeneration of existing 

centres and suburbs. 

• Create a quality built environment in Western Australia 

through the conservation of cultural heritage, the 

development of quality urban design, creating a ‘sense of 

place’ in new and revitalised areas, and the active 

development of quality public spaces. 

• Communities develop through close participation in solving 

their own sustainability issues…to facilitate community 

development ‘bottom-up’. 

• State and local governments are acting in unison to realise a 

sustainable future for the Western Australian community. 

Other partnerships with universities, civil society and 

industry are able to creatively resolve sustainability issues. 

State Planning Strategy 

The State Planning Strategy (1997) is prepared and administered 

by the Western Australian Planning Commission, to guide planning, 

development, resource protection and conservation across the 

State. The strategy examines major issues and trends influencing 

the state and sets out a vision for future development. The strategy 

contains five guiding principles – environmental, community, 

economic, infrastructure and regional principles, and details 

strategies and actions under each principle for the State 

government, local government and other agencies to follow. The 

strategy includes numerous criteria that plans should include to 

address these principles and strategies. Some of the criteria that 

are relevant to local area planning include: 


19 


• Encourage mixed use development. 

• Encourage a range of housing densities. 

• Maximise the potential for development near public transport 

routes. 

• Provide a central community focus. 

• Ensure that consultation occurs at appropriate stages in the 

planning process. 

• Ensure environmental issues are considered in the 

preparation of plans. 

Network City 

The Western Australian Planning Commission released Network 

City: community planning strategy for Perth and Peel in 2004 and it 

has now been adopted as the principal strategic plan for the region 

to guide development for the next 30 years. The strategy was 

developed in response to anticipated population growth, changing 

community expectations of the planning system, and the need for a 

more sustainable city. The strategy emphasises a need not only for 

changes in development patterns but also in how planning is 

conducted, stressing that ‘the key will be to plan through 

participative decision-making at a local and regional level’. The 

development of the strategy was based on an extensive and 

innovative public consultation program, which saw more people 

than ever actively involved in planning for the metropolitan region. 

The consultation experts involved in this project were 

commissioned by the City of Stirling to design and assist in the 

consultation program for preparing the Dianella Local Area Plan. 

Network City guides metropolitan land use patterns, planning 

activity and decision making. The premise of a ‘network city’ is 

based on the development and reinforcement of activity corridors 

(major roads with good public transport where activity clusters) and 

activity centres (key commercial and employment centres), with 

land use, housing and transport systems developed to support this 

network. Within the Dianella Local Area, Morley Drive, is identified 

as an activity corridor and the Mirrabooka Regional Centre is 

identified as an activity centre. There are however, no identified 

activity centres located on activity corridors within the precinct. The 

strategy does however recognise that the area south of Morley 

Drive as within the area of Perth that has ‘many opportunities to 

strengthen networks and centres.’ Other objectives of Network City 

that are relevant to local area planning include: 

• Accommodate urban growth primarily within a network city 

pattern, incorporating communities. 

• Align transport systems and land use to optimise 

accessibility and amenity. 

• Protect and enhance the natural environment, open spaces 

and heritage. 

• Deliver for all a better quality of life, building on our existing 

strengths. 

• Plan with the communities. 

Metropolitan Transport Strategy 

The State’s Transport Strategy was released in 1995 and aims to 

facilitate an efficient and accessible transport system for the Perth 

region through better co-ordination, integration and efficiency in 

transport and land use planning and management. The strategy 

acknowledges that the dominance of private vehicles in Perth’s 

transport system is likely to continue over coming decades yet 

identifies that changes need to be made to address the high levels 

of pollution, congestion, accidents and costs associated with the 


20 


system. Goals to address these issues include improving and 

promoting walking, cycling and public transport; better land use mix 

and higher densities at strategic locations; and development of 

accessible commercial and employment centres. Since the release 

of the Transport Strategy several more specific plans and polices 

have been developed to implement its goals, such as Bike Ahead, 

Travelsmart 2010 and the Freight Transport Strategy. 

Residential Design Codes 

The State’s Residential Design Codes (R-Codes) are a statutory 

State Planning Policy that provide the base standards for local 

governments to control residential development. The R-Codes 

prescribe measures for requirements such as lot size, parking, 

setbacks, open space and building heights, to guide housing 

developers and local governments on what can be approved as 

acceptable development. Some degree of flexibility on these 

measures is however provided through the ‘performance criteria’ 

assessment method which allows developments to be assessed 

against performance or objectives based statements. State 

legislation requires all local governments to adopt the Residential 

Design Codes and they are adopted through Stirling’s District 

Planning Scheme. The City has also adopted a number of 

residential development policies to strengthen or clarify the 

requirements of the R-Codes, including policies on streetscapes, 

building height and parking. 

Metropolitan Centres Policy Statement 

This policy is also a statutory State Planning Policy and provides 

the regional planning framework to co-ordinate the location and 

development of retail and commercial activities across Perth. The 

policy establishes a hierarchy of different size centres across the 

region and controls number, location and floor size of major retail 

and commercial centres, including city centre, regional and district 

centres. The policy aims to define and reinforce the roles of 

different types of centres, whether it be major employment 

provision, recreation and entertainment or daily convenience 

shopping. The policy guides the development of local commercial 

strategies by local government’s. The most recent version of the 

Centres policy was gazetted in 2000 however it is likely that the 

provisions of the policy will be reviewed and modified so that it is a 

more effective tool for implementing the more recent Network City 

strategy. 

Bush Forever 2000 

Bush Forever is a State Government strategy for the conservation 

of bushland and natural environments across Perth. The strategy 

aims to protect ten percent of each of the 26 different types of 

vegetation complexes originally found on the Swan Coastal Plain, 

and to conserve threatened ecological communities. The strategy 

identifies valued sites across the region that should be reserved, 

maintained or rehabilitated for conservation and/or recreation 

purposes. These sites may be in public or private ownership. The 

Western Australian Planning Commission has also prepared a draft 

State Planning Policy to provide statutory support to Bush Forever. 

There are nine Bush Forever sites within the City of Stirling, two of 

which are in Dianella, at Breckler Park and Dianella Regional Open 

Space. 


21 


2.3 City of Stirling Planning Framework 

The Dianella Local Area Plan sits within a broader policy framework 

that includes policies adopted at the State and local levels with 

direct implications for planning, development and management. 

Key documents at the City of Stirling level are: 

The City of Stirling’s Strategic Plan 2004-2008 

The Strategic Plan 2004-2008 is the blueprint for what Council 

hopes to achieve and how this will be done over the five-year 

period. The Strategic Plan incorporates Council’s vision, mission 

and values and guides operational activities through the Key Result 

Areas of: 

‘Our Community’ – to provide services that meet changing 

community needs. 

‘Our Built and Natural Environment’ – to encourage sustainability 

and enhance choice in the built environment, while preserving and 

enhancing the natural environment. 

‘Our Economic Opportunity’ – to enhance choice, opportunity and 

prosperity for the community by encouraging sustainable economic 

development of the City. 

Through its Strategic Plan 2004-2008, the City of Stirling also 

ensures that resources are managed effectively and good 

governance is provided for the benefit of the community. 

Sustainability Strategy 

Work has recently commenced on preparing a Sustainability 

Strategy for the City of Stirling. The strategy, Plan for the Future, 

will provide the broad, long-term context for decision making and 

activities by the City and will inform shorter-term actions and plans, 

to guide a sustainable future for the City. This will require balancing 

social, environmental and economic objectives across the City, and 

within the wider metropolitan context. Development of the strategy 

will be highly collaborative, involving the City’s staff, Council, local 

communities and the private sector, and will take into account 

stakeholder’s present and future needs and aspirations. 

Local Planning Strategy 

The City’s draft Local Planning Strategy was prepared in 2004 to 

facilitate the review of the current District Planning Scheme and to 

articulate the future direction of development across the City over 

the coming 20 - 30 years. The strategy covers a comprehensive 

range of topics, such as Population & Housing, Commercial 

Centres, and Community & Recreation Facilities, identifying the 

current situation, key issues, and future trends in each topic. This 

information provides the basis from which to build the Planning 

Scheme and to develop more specific planning strategies. 

District Planning Scheme No. 2 

The District Planning Scheme, which was gazetted in 1985, is the 

current planning scheme controlling development across the City. 

The scheme and the scheme map establish zoning of land, uses 

and development permitted on that land and development 

standards, such as parking and setback requirements for industrial 

or commercial development and also includes provisions for 


22 


heritage protection and detailed requirements for special precincts 

within the City. A wide range of policies to control development has 

also been adopted under the scheme. The scheme and policy 

provisions apply to development within the Dianella Local Area 

however there are no provisions that apply exclusively to that area. 

The City is undertaking a review of Scheme No.2 and is anticipating 

advertising a new draft Scheme No. 3 in 2007. 

Commercial Strategy 

The draft Local Commercial Strategy covers all commercial centres 

in the City from the large regional centres, to the district, local and 

neighbourhood centres. The strategy identifies objectives for each 

type of commercial centre and guides the planning of these activity 

nodes. The strategy relates to the provisions of the State 

Government’s Metropolitan Centres Policy and also provides 

Council with a basis for decision making for each centre, 

addressing matters such as centres requiring specific action or 

improvement, determination of development and rezoning 

applications, and provision of services and facilities. 

Industrial Areas in Transition Management Strategy 

In response to emerging trends affecting the City's industrial areas 

including increase in retailing from established industrial premises, 

large showrooms seeking to locate in industrial areas, and 

associated traffic and amenity issues, the City has recently adopted 

a strategy to manage and control development within its industrial 

areas. The City has two large industrial precincts located within 

Balcatta and Osborne Park that will be significantly affected by the 

strategy and the subsequent proposed changes to the Planning 

Scheme. A small industrial precinct is also located within Dianella 

and a past study proposed the possible redevelopment of this area 

for housing, however the future direction of the precinct has not 

been defined in this strategy and requires further investigation, 

consultation and planning. 

Housing Strategy 

The City is currently preparing a Local Housing Strategy that will 

provide a general overview of housing-related issues and the 

housing profile of the City. The Strategy will also provide a set of 

principles to guide future provision of housing and residential lots, 

assess the role of supporting services and inform any future 

reviews of residential density within the City. The issues identified 

and the principles endorsed in the City's Housing Strategy will be 

applied to the Local Area Planning project and will be required to be 

considered and addressed in the consultation phase and 

subsequent planning document for each local area. 

Public Open Space Strategy 

A strategy is currently being prepared to guide the provision and 

management of parks and reserves across the City. The 

development of this strategy involves establishing objectives for the 

amount and location of public open space, an inventory and 

assessment of existing spaces and guidelines for future provision 

and maintenance. Standards will be established for the facilities 

required, the target size and catchment areas of different categories 

of open spaces. The strategy will also look at the possibility of 

disposing of some under utilised spaces in areas of oversupply, 

with the sale of such spaces generating funds for the improvement 

of other spaces within the locality. 


23 


2.4 Local Plans and Projects 

A number of significant projects have recently been commenced by 

the City of Stirling to improve the appearance and function of 

important public places within the Dianella Local Area. Other plans 

and projects are also being prepared and any forthcoming plans will 

need to compliment the intention and direction provided by this 

Local Area Plan. 

Mirrabooka Regional Centre Improvement Strategy 

The Mirrabooka commercial area and surrounds is designated as a 

Regional Centre by the Western Australian Planning Commission. 

Regional centres are significant centres across the Perth region 

which should provide for a mix of retail, office, entertainment, 

recreation and community facilities. In 1999 the City commenced a 

study into ways to improve the appearance and function of the 

Mirrabooka regional centre. The Mirrabooka Regional Centre 

Improvement Strategy has since become one of the City’s biggest 

projects. The centre is in the north-west corner of the Dianella Local 

Area and includes the Mirrabooka shopping centre, surrounding 

commercial development and other land uses in the vicinity, such 

as recreation and housing. The aim of the strategy is to revitalise 

the centre to create an attractive, popular and successful focus for 

the surrounding region’s population, providing a strong range of 

shopping, service and social needs. Implementation of this 

comprehensive revitalisation strategy is now well underway. The 

major components of the project include: 

• Rezoning of land (Amendment No. 447) to allow the creation 

of land use precincts and greater land use flexibility; 

• Design guidelines for new development to ensure high 

quality, contemporary commercial and residential building 

design; 

• Creation of new access roads – including extending Ilkeston 

Place through the centre and developing it as a vibrant, 

lifestyle street; 

• Creation of a town square – a meeting place that supports 

community events; 

• Upgrading of the Mirrabooka bus station; 

• Upgrading the library precinct and adjacent public spaces; 

and 

• A new residential subdivision by the City (adjacent to Herb 

Graham recreation centre) to bring more people into the 

area which is needed to improve the economic function and 

vibrancy of the centre. 

The project has required extensive consultation with many varied 

stakeholders, including an enquiry by design workshop and the 

ongoing cooperation of key agencies. The major stakeholders 

include the City of Stirling, State Government agencies including 

the Department for Planning and Infrastructure, the Public 

Transport Authority and the Department for Housing and Works, 

and landowners in the area, such as the shopping centre owners. 

The value of the project is $12.3M with the project primarily funded 

through land sales, State Government contributions and Special 

Area Rates. 


24 


Before: Ilkeston Place 

New Zoning of Mirrabooka Regional Centre 

After: proposed lifestyle street along Ilkeston Place 


25 


Local Centres Urban Design Improvement Programme 

Council has adopted a programme to facilitate the ongoing upgrade 

of the 74 local commercial centres across the City. The primary 

objective of the programme is to nurture local centres and their 

capacity to provide accessible local shopping and services, local 

employment and a community focus. This is achieved through 

individual urban design studies of selected centres that seek to 

improve the appearance, streetscape and image of the centre as 

well as its layout and accessibility. Each improvement plan also 

seeks to identify and address key issues facing specific centres. 

Rollout of the program commenced in 2000 and several projects 

have been completed across the City. Improvement studies have 

been undertaken at two out of the five local centres in Dianella. 

The Strand Before 

and After 

The Strand / Surrey Street Local Centre Study commenced in 2001. 

Key issues that were identified included an undersupply of parking 

at the centre, an unattractive frontage on both streets due to lack of 

landscaping and varied parking configurations, and poor 

appearance at the rear of the shops with ineffective use of the right 

of way. The poor presentation of the centre contrasted with the well 

maintained abutting residential areas. 

Following the study and consultation with landowners a detailed 

concept plan was developed to facilitate improved parking, 

landscaping and general appearance of the centre, as well as 

rezoning of an adjacent lot from Residential to Civic (Amendment 

415) to provide parking. The implementation of the plan required 

financial contributions from both the City and land owners. 

The Coode Street Local Centre Study was undertaken in 2003. The 

study produced recommendations of practical ways to improve the 

appearance of the centre, with similar initiatives to The Strand 

study, such as parking, right of way, signage and landscaping 

improvements. An overall upgrade of the centre can develop a 

stronger character or theme for the centre which can help build 

local identity. Some improvements have been implemented along 

the eastern side of the centre. However, despite Council support, 

proposed improvements to the Coode Street centre were 

constrained by a lack of support by owners along the western side 

of the centre. 

The concept plan for The Strand/Surrey Street had high land owner 

support and has experienced a successful implementation. 


26 


Dianella Regional Open Space Master Plan 

The City's largest public open space reserves, Regional Open 

Spaces are of high value to the City as they perform many 

important roles. These include general active and passive 

recreation, high level sporting competition, bushland and 

environmental conservation and providing substantial ‘green relief’ 

to the built environment. The City is committed to the good 

management of all reserves and is preparing master plans for each 

regional open space, to manage the complexity of issues and uses 

of each reserve and to plan for ongoing improvements and facility 

provision in a sustainable manner. 

Dianella Regional Open Space is the largest reserve in the Dianella 

Local Area and accommodates many users and visitors from both 

the local community and from across Perth. The space is intensely 

used, particularly by sporting groups, and the need has arisen to 

develop a master plan to guide balanced use, ongoing amenity and 

development of facilities. The plan will investigate the implications 

of community needs and recreation trends as well as opportunities 

and constraints on the site. The project seeks to establish principles 

for future development, infrastructure provision, parking, sport 

management and funding. Significant consultation with users of the 

reserve and surrounding residents is being undertaken as part of 

the Master Plan development. 

Majestic Noble Rise Community Park 

Majestic Noble Rise Park, near the intersection of Dianella and 

Yirragin Drives, has been included in the City’s new community 

park development programme. The programme aims to develop a 

high quality ‘community park’ within each local community to 

provide a focal point for people to come together for socialising, 

community events and local group activities, as well as for general 

recreation and exercise. The development program involves 

selecting suitably located and sized parks for redeveloping with 

facilities such as playgrounds, multi use courts, barbeques, picnic 

tables and shelters. The parks are also designed with a high quality 

landscape setting and a variety of open spaces suited to a variety of 

uses. 

Dianella Local Area Public Open Space Plan 

Development of further parks and reserves in the locality will be 

guided in the future by the forthcoming Public Open Space Strategy 

(see Section 2.2 of this plan). This strategy will be used to guide an 

inventory, assessment and classification of all reserves in each 

local area with a subsequent plan for the future management and 

development of the reserves being prepared. A review of public 

open space in the Dianella Local Area is currently underway in 

order to develop a public open space plan for the area. The 

proposed plan will then be advertised for community input. 


27 


Dianella Library Upgrade 

The Dianella Library was one of the first built in the City of Stirling, 

opening in 1979. The City recently undertook a project to rejuvenate 

the exterior of the 27 year old building. This involved art work, 

façade work, signage and branding. Although a primary objective 

was to improve the appearance of the library – to give it a more 

contemporary look and make it more attractive to the public, the 

project also aimed to better integrate the library into its 

surroundings. The colour themes are complimentary to the adjacent 

Dianella shopping centre and students from neighbouring Our 

Lady's Assumption Primary School were involved in producing a 

large mosaic at the front of the building. 

Community Facilities Review 

The City’s Community Development Directorate manages a range 

of recreation and community centres and facilities across the City. A 

review has recently been conducted of facilities within the Dianella 

Local Area, including the community centre, recreation centre, 

library and child health centre, to assess their conduction and 

performance. It has been recognised that the facilities in Dianella 

are ageing and under utilised. In addition to this, the facilities are 

dispersed across the local area, which reduces community 

awareness and access of the facilities. The City is currently 

investigating opportunities for upgrading, improving or redeveloping 

facilities within Dianella and is aiming to produce a long-term plan 

for community facilities within the area. 

TravelSmart 

An innovative travel behaviour program has recently been 

introduced to the City of Stirling; TravelSmart is a successful 

Western Australian community-based program that helps 

individuals, communities, schools and workplaces make smarter 

choices about the way they travel. The program uses a range of 

different projects to promote alternatives to car use and 

encourages people to swap one or two of their weekly car journeys 

to a smarter, more sustainable form of transport, such as walking, 

riding a bike, using public transport, sharing a lift / car-pooling, or 

working from home. 

Being TravelSmart has a number of benefits, including increased 

physical activity and fitness; more activity in local communities; less 

traffic; saving money on petrol; decreased pollution and less 

greenhouse gas emissions. Different TravelSmart projects will be 

introduced to the Dianella local community in 2007. 


28 


3 LOCAL AREA PROFILE 

3.1 Study Area 

The Dianella local area encompasses the suburb of Dianella and 

the adjacent parts of Mirrabooka, Nollamara and Yokine that fall 

within major road or land use boundaries. The precinct is bound by 

Reid Highway to the North, Nollamara Avenue, Hancock Street and 

Cresswell Road to the West, Wordsworth Avenue and Walter Road 

to the south and Wellington Road and Bunya Street to the east. The 

precinct covers approximately 1,200 hectares. 

Key features and landmarks of the area include the Yokine 

Reservoir and Perth’s three television stations to the east, 

Mirrabooka Regional Centre to the north and Dianella Regional 

Reserve in the centre of the precinct. General land use in the area 

is predominately low to medium density residential, with other uses 

including numerous parks and reserves, a variety of commercial 

centres, a small industrial complex and other special and civic 

development such as schools and churches. 

The Dianella Local Area abuts four other local areas in the City of 

Stirling: North Mirrabooka; Balga-Westminster-Nollamara; Osborne- 

Yokine; and the heritage area from Inglewood to Coolbinia. The 

eastern side of the precinct abuts the City of Bayswater, which 

includes the suburbs of Bedford, Morley and Noranda. 


29 


3.2 Historical Overview 

Aboriginal use and stewardship of land within the City of Stirling 

prior to European occupation is acknowledged by the City. Oral and 

written histories identify that Aboriginal people occupied land now 

within Stirling and there are numerous identified heritage sites 

across the City that indicate past occupation, or that are of cultural 

significance. Wetland areas are often connected to Aboriginal 

heritage and can be significant for many reasons, and Dianella has 

been developed on wetlands. There are three registered Aboriginal 

Sites within the Dianella Local Area, these are archaeological sites 

where Aboriginal artifacts have been found. These sites are Light 

Street (northern corner of Dianella Regional Open Space), Fitzroy 

Street (near West Morley Primary School) and Deasey Place 

(adjacent to Alexander Bunya Reserve). These sites demonstrate 

that Aboriginal people lived or travelled within the area we now call 

the Dianella Local Area. 

The area encompassing the Dianella Local Area was first 

subdivided as part of the original ‘ribbon grants’ provided by 

Governor James Stirling to new settlers of the Swan River colony in 

the first half of the nineteenth century. ‘Location U’ a ribbon of land 

than ran from the river in present day Bayswater through Bedford 

and Dianella was granted to Robert Thomas in 1829. The adjoining 

lots Location V and Location W were granted to George Thomas 

Darby and James Birkett in 1830. Attempts to grow crops in the 

area were generally unsuccessful (blamed on infertile soil) resulting 

in the area remaining substantially undeveloped throughout the 

nineteenth and early twentieth century, aside from some poultry 

farms and market gardens. Development was also constrained by 

accessibility, with no roads penetrating through the dense Banksia 

woodland, making subdivided land difficult to sell to new settlers. 

The conversion of the area from rural fringe to suburbia took place 

in the boom years following World War II, where Perth experienced 

major population and housing growth through the 1950s and 60s. 

The suburban fringe spread east from Mt Lawley through Inglewood 

and Yokine to the Dianella area in the late 1950s. At this time is 

was considered necessary to name the area and the name Dianella 

was chosen by the Perth Roads Board in 1959 after a small purpleblue 

lily Dianella revoluta, native to the area. The flower now 

features on the City of Stirling’s coat of arms. 

At this time the first town planning schemes were being prepared 

for areas within the Road Board district and the first to be approved 

was in Dianella, setting out subdivision and block size and providing 

for a small shopping centre on Homer Street. A formal plan for 

Dianella was adopted in 1961 that included over 1,000 lots, areas of 

public parkland and proposed roads. The southern and central 

portions of the Dianella Local Area developed quickly from this time 

with many young families developing modest homes on blocks of 

around 700 - 900m 2 . Demand for land in the area saw the average 

block prices rising from 450 pounds in 1959 to up to 1,400 pounds 

by 1964. 

Residential growth influenced other development in the area 

including schools and places of worship. The area’s first secondary 

school, Mirrabooka High School opened in 1965 and the Dianella 

Plaza and hotel commenced development at this time also. 

Separate to the development of the residential area, bushland in the 

western portion of the area was identified for the location of 

television stations, with Western Australia’s first station TVW7 

opened by the Governor in 1959 and STW9 in 1965. The late 1970s 


30 


and early 80s saw substantial development of infrastructure and 

community facilities in the local area, including library, community 

and recreation facilities in Dianella and Mirrabooka as well as the 

Mirrabooka bus station and further schools and religious 

institutions. 

Residential development in the northern portion of the Local Area 

largely commenced in the mid 1990s with the development of the 

Dress Circle, Montclair and St Andrews estates, with housing still 

under construction in some areas. Further housing will also be 

developed as a result of the revitalisation project for the Mirrabooka 

Regional Centre. This newer northern section, with its elevated land 

and large contemporary housing is in considerable contrast to the 

original 1960s area, with Morley Drive creating somewhat of a 

divide between two different precincts. 

Dianella revoluta –and the Dianella in the Stirling Crest 


31 


3.3 Socio-Economic Profile 

Population 

The estimated population of the Dianella Local Area in 2006 is 

approximately 22,600 people (exact figures rely on the results of the 

five-yearly population census). The population of the suburb itself 

grew from approximately 19,065 people in 1996 to 20,061 in 2001 

(21,520 in the total study area), at an approximate growth rate of 

1% per year. The total population of the local area is expected to 

increase to approximately 25,000 by 2016. 

The City of Stirling, with approximately 180,000 people in 2006 has 

maintained continuing, but slowing growth as it gradually reaches 

its full development potential. Current population growth in the City 

is approximately 0.6% per annum (compared to 1.5% for the Perth 

metropolitan region as a whole). The Department for Planning and 

Infrastructure projects that this relatively slow rate of growth is likely 

to continue. Significant future population growth is therefore not 

anticipated in the Dianella area over the coming decade. 

The growth of the area’s population is influenced by a number of 

factors, each of which is contributing to a stable population. Firstly 

as the area is an established suburb with no unzoned, urban 

deferred or rural land, there is very limited opportunity for significant 

subdivisions. The current densities also limit the opportunity for 

significant housing development and this combined with the 

Australian trend of smaller household sizes is significantly affecting 

the number of people living within each dwelling (see Section 3.4). 

Additionally the national trend of low fertility rates is also affecting 

population growth and the number of people living within each 

dwelling. 

The age-sex pyramid below shows the breakdown of the local area 

population. The pyramid shows a generally even spread of the 

population across most age groups under 65 years, however there 

are significantly more females in most age groups. The biggest age 

groups are those between 25 to 44 years (29% of the population 

are between these ages) and there is a notable lack of people aged 

between 20 - 24 years. 

-900 -700 -500 -300 -100 100 300 500 700 900 

Males 

80+ 

75-79 

70-74 

65-69 

60-64 

55-59 

50-54 

45-49 

40-44 

35-39 

30-34 

25-29 

20-24 

15-19 

10-14 

5-9 

0-4 

Females 

Age Sex Pyramid for the Local Area 2001 


32 


The median age of the population is 39 years, indicating a 

considerably older population compared to the averages for Stirling 

(36 years) and Perth (34 years). The proportion of people aged 65 

or over increased between 1996 and 2001 from 15% to 16.5% and 

this trend is expected to continue. The suburb of Dianella is the 6 th 

ranked Stirling suburb for highest proportions of over 65s, however 

due to its large size it has the highest net number of people aged 

over 65 (although it has high total numbers at every age group). 

Children (under 15 years) constituted 17.5% of the total population 

in 1996 and 2001. This is consistent with Stirling’s population profile 

yet there is a notably smaller proportion of children in Dianella’s 

population than elsewhere in Perth - 20.6% of the metropolitan 

region is aged under 15. The proportion of children in the local area 

is expected to decline slightly as the population ages in coming 

years and as family sizes stay small. 

The limited proportion of children in the area is also reflected in the 

family or household types that make up the population. In 2001 only 

36% of the 9,638 dwellings in the area contained families with 

children living at home (one or two parents). The other 6,206 

dwellings were occupied by couples without children (25% of all 

dwellings), single occupants, group/share households and other 

household forms. Nearly two thirds of all dwellings had only one or 

two people living in them, 12% of the total population of the local 

area (which equates to over 2,500 people) was living alone in 2001. 

The Dianella population has a diverse cultural makeup with 

residents having a wide range of backgrounds and cultural 

affiliations. Nearly 40% of residents were born overseas, in over 40 

different countries. This is largely made up of people born in the 

UK (7%), South Africa (4.2%), Italy (4.2%) and Vietnam (3.2%) and 

smaller proportions of Malaysians, Indians and Greeks. A high 

proportion of residents speak a second language, with 29% of 

people speaking a language other than English at home. This is 

much higher than the Perth average of 14%. The predominate 

languages include Italian, Vietnamese, Greek, Macedonian, 

Cantonese, Polish and Serbian. The indigenous population makes 

up only 0.5% of the Dianella population, which is considerably lower 

than in the neighbouring suburbs of Mirrabooka, Nollamara and 

Westminster and lower than the Perth average of 1.5% of the 

population. 

The diversity of the population is also reflected in religious 

affiliation. The most common religions in the community are 

Catholic (33% of residents), Anglican (15.5%), Judaism (7%), 

Orthodox Christian (6%), Buddhism (4%), Uniting Church (3%) and 

Islam (2%). The local area contains approximately 30% of Perth’s 

Jewish population. A total of 19% of Dianella’s population did not 

have a religious affiliation or did not state it in the 2001 census. 

The Dianella community also supports numerous local cultural, 

social and recreational groups which strengthen and support its 

diversity. This includes numerous sporting associations, retiree and 

seniors groups and activities, a Lions and a Rotary Club, Guides 

and Scouts, an environmental group and cultural support and social 

groups. Dianella does not however have an identified community 

group pursing local interests such as a ratepayers association or 

resident action group, although the Mirrabooka Action Group is 

associated with the local area. A list of known community groups is 

listed in Appendix A. 


33 


Economy, Education and Employment 

In 2001 the local area had a total workforce of 9,597 people. This is 

a relatively high proportion of the total population (45%). The 

unemployment rate for the workforce appears to stay consistent 

with Western Australian averages and was approximately 4% in 

2006. The most common employment sector for Dianella residents 

is sales, services and clerical, with 34% of the workforce working in 

this field. Residents could be working in any location, however 

there are several retail centres within the local area, and Morley 

regional centre and the Perth city centre also offer nearby sales, 

services and clerical employment. There are also reasonably high 

proportions of professionals (20%) and associated professionals 

(15%) within the population and the proportion of trades people 

(11%) and managers (7%) is consistent with Perth averages. 

% of workforce 

40 

35 

30 

25 

20 

15 

10 

5 

0 

Managers 

Professionals 

Assoc. professionals 

Clerical/ Sales/ Service 

Tradespersons 

Production/ Transport 

Labourers 

With regard to education, 36% of the population has a tertiary 

qualification, including 22% with a diploma or certificate and 14% 

with a bachelor degree or higher. In 2001, 44% of those aged over 

15 had completed year 12 or equivalent. This is consistent with 

education levels in the Perth region. 

The income levels of Dianella Local Area residents are also 

consistent with Stirling and Perth averages. Of the 289 suburbs in 

Perth in 2001, Dianella was ranked 172 for highest individual 

incomes and 183 for highest household incomes. The median gross 

weekly individual income for the area is between $300 - $399 and 

the median gross weekly household income is approximately $750. 

Approximately 35% of all households have a gross weekly income 

of less than $500. 

% of households 

20 

18 

16 

14 

12 

10 

8 

6 

4 

2 

0 

nil 

Key Occupations of Local Residents 

$1-$299 

$300-$499 

$500-$699 

$700-$999 

$1,000-$1,499 

$1,500-$1,999 

$2,000+ 

Gross Weekly Household Income 


34 


Key Socio-Economic Characteristics 

Overall it can be said that the Dianella Local Area population is 

characterized as an older population, although not predominately 

‘aged’; with higher portions of females and moderate proportions of 

women and men of parenting age, and fairly low proportions of 

young or school aged children. The area does however have a 

higher proportion of traditional ‘nuclear family’ households when 

compared to other suburbs, yet these constitute only one third of all 

households in the area. The population is growing at a slow rate, 

due to its established nature, and major growth or significant 

changes to the characteristics of the population are not expected 

over the coming decade. Another defining characteristic of the 

population is its ethnic and cultural diversity. 

Dianella’s workforce appears to be benefiting from the State’s 

current economic boom, rather than being left behind as other 

sectors of Perth’s population are. The area is experiencing low 

unemployment, has acceptable education levels and a solid range 

of professional, trades, retail, clerical and other professions that 

enable it to fit well in the current employment market of Western 

Australia. This suggests the Dianella Local Area’s population will 

continue to experience economic stability whilst conditions in Perth 

and Western Australian follow current trends. 

Key Characteristics of the Local Area’s Population 

2001 CENSUS DIANELLA 

LOCAL AREA 

STIRLING 

LGA 

PERTH 

REGION 

Population 21,520 people 169,168 1.34 million 

Population growth rate 1% 0.6% 1.5% 

Median age 39 years 36 years 34 years 

Aged 65 or over 16.5% 14.2% 11.3% 

Aged 14 or under 17.5% 17% 20.6% 

Born overseas 39% 34% 31% 

Speak 2nd language at home 29% 21% 14% 

Average dwelling occupancy 2.2 people 2.1 people 2.4 people 

Nuclear family households 36% 23% 30% 

Lone person households 26.6% 32.5% 24.8% 

Tertiary education 36% 37% 36% 

Average individual income $300 - $399 $300 - $399 $300 - $399 


35 


3.4 Natural & Built Environment Profile 

Natural Environment 

The native landscape of the Dianella Local Area has been 

significantly modified through the process of urbanisation and is 

now largely devoid of its native flora and fauna. The area is located 

on both the Spearwood and Bassendean dune systems and native 

vegetation includes Banksia, Marri, Melaleuca, Sheoaks and 

Jarrah. The area has significant topographical features to the north 

and north-east, with the high areas around St Andrews and the 

Montclair estate having views to the Darling Scarp. 

Dianella has a strong network of public open space with over 80 

parks, reserves, drainage sites and landscaped areas dispersed 

across the precinct. Parklands include large reserves such as 

sports fields or protected bushland, community spaces for social 

events, and small parks for dog walking and children’s play. These 

open space reserves total to over 150 hectares, which is 

approximately 15% of the locality. The size, use and quality of these 

spaces varies considerably from reserve to reserve, as does the 

environmental and social value of different spaces. 

Cottonwood Crescent is also home to a significant population of 

Western Grey kangaroos - this is the closest wild population to the 

city centre. The site also provides a feeding habitat for threatened 

Carnaby Cockatoos. 

Remnant bushland covers approximately 4% of the total area of the 

City of Stirling and this is reflected in the local area. Local bushland 

and other reserves play many important roles in protecting 

biodiversity, wildlife and natural habitats and in contributing to the 

health of the environment. The City’s Green Plan 2 identifies open 

space reserves, road reserves and other areas that are important to 

bushland conservation and the protection of biodiversity through 

facilitating green links. The plan identifies 17 public open space 

reserves in the local area as having significant vegetation or 

linkages and also identifies the road reserves of Morley and 

Alexander Drive of providing ecological linkages. Other significant 

bushland sites that are not owned or managed by the City are found 

adjacent to the Channel 9 television station and at each of the five 

the local public schools. 

Two of the largest public reserves, Dianella Regional Open Space 

and Cottonwood Crescent Reserve contain ‘Bush Forever’ sites, 

identified under the State Government’s Bush Forever strategy for 

the conservation of bushland and natural environments across 

Perth. The two sites are reserved under the State Government’s 

Metropolitan Region Scheme and each contains several hectares of 

high quality Banksia woodlands (Banksia attenuata and Banksia 

menziesii). Each site supports a diverse array of native flora and 

fauna species including birds, reptiles and amphibians. 


36 


Two other important elements of the natural environment in Dianella 

are the streetscapes and private gardens. The majority of front 

gardens and verges in the precinct are landscaped, to varying 

degrees with a variety of native and exotic plants, trees and 

grasses. Although landscaping varies from house to house and 

from street to street, there are common themes in some areas, 

such as consistent street tree types, or modern front gardens in 

newer estates. The combined effect of the landscaping and 

appearance of individual houses and verges within a given street 

come together to influence the overall ‘streetscape’ of a particular 

street. Attractive presentations and consistent themes in 

landscaping of gardens and verges can contribute strongly to a 

streetscape that creates a particular image or local character for the 

area. 

Individual plantings and front or back garden maintenance is 

currently the choice of individual landowners. As well as 

streetscape appeal, residential gardens can also play an important 

role in supporting local wildlife and biodiversity and have a 

significant impact on scheme and ground water use. 

Road reserves and street trees within the precinct are managed by 

the City of Stirling, with individual landowners also able to contribute 

to maintenance and planting on verges in front of their property (in 

accordance with the City’s guidelines). There are a number of areas 

within the Dianella Local Area that have consistent street tree 

themes, particularly in the south of the precinct. These plantings 

assist in defining these areas and creating smaller sub-precincts 

within the local area. 

The density and age of different sub-precincts also impacts upon 

the natural streetscape, in a number of ways. The older areas have 

large front setbacks, many with mature gardens, whilst the 

redeveloped medium density areas have smaller front setbacks and 

often less developed gardens. The new residential estates have 

quite consistent six metre front setback areas with manicured and 

modern landscaping. 


37 


Land Use and Zoning 

The predominate land use in the Dianella Local Area is low density 

residential, with zonings ranging from R20 to R30. All residential 

land north of Morley Drive (excluding two large lots) is zoned R20; 

the southern half of Dianella has essentially three separate 

residential precincts - an area of R20, one of R25 and a large area 

of R30. The current residential zonings were gazetted between 

1995 and 1996, following a comprehensive study as part of the 

City-wide density review in the 1990s. The reviews of south and 

north Dianella took a number of years to complete from initial study, 

to public consultation, amendments and final approval. The 

eventual result was that all areas initially zoned R20 generally 

remained at R20 and the dual coded areas south of Morley Drive 

and east of Alexander Drive were rezoned to a single density at a 

mid point between the dual coding (i.e. R20/R40 changed to R30). 

The past and current zonings in the south-east of Dianella have 

facilitated a significant amount of redevelopment. Some infill 

development has also taken place within the R20 areas, where 

many lots have been large enough to subdivide. 

Other land uses and zoning in the area include commercial, 

industrial and civic, as well as a large number of public use or parks 

and recreation reserves. Local public use reserves are used for 

primary schools and water, sewerage and drainage purposes. The 

Mirrabooka precinct is zoned as a regional centre and includes a 

number of ‘sub-zones’ to designate locations for retail, main street, 

residential and other land uses. 

The local area is bordered by a number of different land use 

precincts. A regional reserve, including bushland and the Atlas 

waste facility runs along the north boundary, above Reid Highway. 

To the west there are the medium density residential suburbs of 

Westminster and Nollamara (both R40) and Yokine golf course, 

with McCauley Reserve and surrounding R30 development to the 

south east. These three adjoining suburbs are undergoing major 

redevelopment which is having a significant impact on their 

appearance and character, particularly Yokine, which is being 

transformed into an area of modern two storey town houses with 

small backyards. To the east, in the City of Bayswater, are the low 

density suburbs of Bedford and Noranda with densities generally 

between R17.5 and R25, with a strip of R40 abutting Dianella’s R30 

area along Walter Road West. The Morley regional centre also 

abuts Dianella, residential densities immediately around the 

commercial area are generally high density R80 however this 

reduces to dual-codings of R17.5/R40 abutting Dianella. 

Traditionally Dianella was subdivided with residential lot sizes 

usually between 700m 2 and 900m 2 . These size lots combined with 

past and current zonings have facilitated ongoing urban infill over 

the past decades. Current lot sizes across the area now vary 

considerably, with a minimum lot size of 450m 2 in the R20 areas 

and 350m 2 and 300m 2 in R25 and R30 respectively. However the 

low-density zonings across the area do not facilitate the major 

changes in housing form which enables significant population 

growth. Urban infill in Dianella generally entails demolition of one 

single house and replacement with two group dwellings (units) or an 

additional unit at the rear of an older dwelling, where possible. This 

does not create a significant net increase in population due to lower 

household occupancy rates in many new or small dwellings. In 

2001 there was an average of 2.7 persons per each single house 

and an average of 1.6 persons in semi detached, unit and 

apartment housing. Yet it must be noted that all housing types 

contain a high proportion of small households, such as aged 

persons who choose to stay in the family home, or young couples. 


38 


Housing 

At the time of the 2001 census there were 9,638 dwellings in the 

Dianella Local Area. Between mid 201 and mid 2006 the City has 

issued approximately 600 building licences for new dwellings, many 

of these were within the new St Andrews estates whilst others were 

for infill development. However approximately 250 dwellings were 

demolished during this period, largely to enable infill development. 

4,000 

3,500 

3,000 

2,500 

2,000 

1,500 

Fully owned 

Being purchased 

Being Rented 

The predominate form of dwelling in the area is single housing, 

constituting 67% of all dwellings. There is however a considerable 

proportion (27%) of semi detached dwellings, units and apartments, 

which total to over 2,500 dwellings - this is relatively high for a 

predominately low density suburb. The area also has a high degree 

of home ownership; 50% of the population fully owns the home they 

live in, with 23% paying a mortgage and 24% renting. Only 3% of 

dwellings are public rental properties. The high rate of full 

ownership, combined with lower than average mortgage repayment 

levels indicates the area has a high degree of long-term residents. 

1,000 

500 

0 

$500,000.00 

Separate 

house 

Semi-detached/ 

townhouse 

Flat, unit or 

apartment 

Local Area Housing Types and Tenure 

The median house price in the suburb of Dianella was $435,000 in 

September 2006, whilst the Perth median was $380,000. Like much 

of Perth, Dianella has experienced substantial growth in residential 

property values over the last 12 months, with both Dianella and the 

Perth region experiencing a growth rate of approximately 30%. 

Median sale prices in Dianella have risen over $200,000 since 

2002. The difference between Dianella median prices and the Perth 

average is decreasing, however Dianella generally remains more 

expensive than the Perth average. The range of property values in 

Dianella is somewhat reflective of the diversity of housing size and 

value across the Perth region, with 2006 sales ranging between 

$250,000 to over $1.5 million. 

$450,000.00 

$400,000.00 

$350,000.00 

$300,000.00 

$250,000.00 

$200,000.00 

$150,000.00 

$100,000.00 

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 

Median House Price Comparisons 

Perth 

Dianella 


40 


The style, condition and age of dwellings across the locality varies 

considerably. A large amount of dwellings still remain from the initial 

boom period in the area of the 1960s, these are fairly simple single 

storey houses. Over time new architectural styles have been 

introduced to the area with new residential estates and successive 

housing booms, which has lead to a diversity of housing styles and 

sizes across the precinct. Most streets do not have a consistent 

architectural theme, except for some that have been newly 

developed that display similar size and scale housing with large, 

double storey detached houses, yet of different architectural styles. 

Double storey dwellings have been popular in Dianella for many 

years however they appear to becoming increasingly prevalent in 

some areas. New building licences for the area consistent of 

comparable proportions of single and double storey dwellings, yet 

show a clear trend of increasing house size (by floor area). 

Buildings of cultural heritage significance are recorded on the City’s 

Heritage List and the Municipal Inventory of Heritage Places. The 

new Heritage List identifies the highest quality/valued buildings 

which require conservation, it is included in the District Planning 

Scheme and affords statutory protection to these buildings. There 

are currently no buildings within the local area on the Heritage List. 

The Municipal Inventory is a reference document of all buildings 

identified of having heritage significance, yet are not affected by 

statutory controls. Both the list and the inventory are currently being 

reviewed and changes may be made to the listings. Currently three 

buildings in Dianella are on the Municipal Inventory: 

• 199 Alexander Drive Dianella –Howlett & Bailey Architecture 

• 53 Shannon Road Dianella - 1969 Ivan Iwanoff architecture 

• 38 Sycamore Rise Dianella - 1977 Iwanoff Brutalist style 

Local Area Housing Profile 

Single detached dwellings 67% 

Semi-detached, units & apartments 33% 

Average No. persons per dwelling 2.2 people 

Owner occupied homes fully owned 50% 

Paying a mortgage 23% 

Private rental housing 21% 

Public rental housing 3% 

Average monthly loan repayment (2001) $850 

Average house price (June2006) $413,000 


41 


Commercial, Industrial and Employment Centres 

There are approximately 650 businesses operating in Dianella and 

200 in the Mirrabooka Regional Centre at present. The number of 

recorded businesses in the area has stayed fairly constant over the 

past five years, which is consistent with City of Stirling trends, 

where there has been a fairly constant amount of businesses 

(approximately 12,000) since 1999. The volume of businesses in 

Dianella is comparable to that of Inglewood and Yokine, however 

these are smaller suburbs. There has been very little new 

commercial or industrial development in the area in recent years, 

however there has been upgrades and changes of use within 

existing commercial and industrial sites. 

There are seven commercial centres across the local area, varying 

in size from local, neighbourhood, district and regional. Each level 

of centre performs a different role in providing daily, weekly and 

specialist goods, with the district and regional centres also playing 

important roles in providing essential services, community 

amenities and local employment. The City’s draft Local Commercial 

Strategy identifies that there is an adequate number of centres in 

the area, most with an appropriate retail floor space. Modeling has 

shown that some centres, especially Mirrabooka, have the potential 

for some expansion over the next twenty years. The commercial 

centres across the local area (including Mirrabooka Regional 

Centre) employ a total of approximately 3,000 people. Dianella is 

also adjacent to the large Morley Strategic Regional Centre which 

supplements local employment and commercial needs. 

A small industrial precinct is located at the southern edge of the 

local area, between Elsegood Street and Walter Road. There are 

20 industrial properties, predominately used for service, storage 

and manufacturing uses, with floor space totaling to approximately 

20,000m 2 . In 2002 the Dianella industrial complex employed 

approximately 190 people. The long term operation of industrial 

activities in this area is somewhat uncertain given the preference of 

some landowners and Council support for redeveloping the area for 

residential uses. 

The number of people working from home is difficult to accurately 

determine as many people may not have applied for approval from 

the City. This is particularly the case with home offices, were there 

is no signage, customers or staff required. In 2006 the City has 

approved 17 Home Offices and in the last 3 years the City has 

approved 20 Home Occupations or Home Businesses (those that 

involve customers and/or staff) in Dianella. Other major 

employment nodes within the local area include the television 

stations, Mirrabooka High School and St Andrews Grammar. 

Current and Potential Floor space in Commercial Centres 

CENTRE Existing NLA 2002 Potential NLA 2026 

REGIONAL 

Mirrabooka 39,432m 2 50,480 m 2 

DISTRICT 

Dianella Plaza 15,004 m 2 14,400 m 2 

NEIGHBOURHOOD 

Coode St/Walter Rd* 

Walter Road* 

*Part outside Stirling 

LOCAL 

Bayley Street 

Pimlott Street 

The Strand 

2,495 m 2 

2,327 m 2 

3,915 m 2 3,441 m 2 

635 m 2 

563 m 2 

500 m 2 745 m 2 

564 m 2 

1005 m 2 


42 


Community Amenities 

The City of Stirling operates a public library, a community centre, a 

child health centre and a recreation centre in Dianella and a library 

and recreation centre at the Mirrabooka regional centre. These 

centres offer a range of services and recreation activities for the 

community including a fitness centre, a seniors Autumn Club and 

school activities. The recreation and community centres also 

provide a meeting and activity space for the many local community 

groups to pursue their interests. 

There are also a number of private community meeting and 

recreation places, such as the Dianella Hotel, churches and Jewish 

meeting houses. There are several places of worship operating in 

Dianella to cater for different religions, including Anglican, Catholic, 

Uniting and Orthodox churches and a mosque. 

The local area has a good range of education establishments with a 

total of ten kindergarten and pre-primary schools, eight primary 

schools (public and private) and one public and one private high 

school. The local area is also in close proximity to Balga TAFE and 

Edith Cowan University, for tertiary education. 

Other community facilities in the local area include aged care and 

retirement homes, including Hellenic Aged Care, Perth Jewish Aged 

Home Society, Ashler Glen Masonic Retirement Home and 

Rosemount Retirement Centre. 


43 


Movement Network 

The movement network through Dianella is defined by two sets of 

perpendicular roads running through the suburb, Morley and 

Alexander Drive, and Yirrigin and Dianella Drive. Reid Highway, 

Nollamara Avenue, Cresswell Road and Walter Road form physical 

edges to the precinct as well as connect it to surrounding areas. 

Dianella has a good level of public transport, compared to other 

middle metropolitan suburbs. There are numerous bus services 

passing through the area, including the high frequency Circleroute 

and services from Mirrabooka bus station to Morley bus station, the 

central city and other surrounding suburbs. The Mirrabooka bus 

station is undergoing major improvement as part of the Mirrabooka 

Improvement Strategy to make the station safer and more 

appealing to the public. 

The City’s Bike Plan identifies shared paths and safe bike routes 

across the City. There are currently no principal shared paths (dualuse 

paths) in the local area. Dianella Drive, Light Street, Surrey 

Street and the Strand are identified as the key bicycle routes 

through the area. The area has a well connected footpath network, 

with footpaths along all major roads and local distributors and many 

of the longer or busier local roads. However many smaller local 

roads do not have footpaths. 

Census data from 2001 shows that approximately 50% of all 

households own two or more cars and 9% do not own a car at all. 

When asked to nominate their method of transport to work, 74% of 

the local workforce stated that they drove a motor vehicle, 4% 

worked from home, approximately 7% took public transport and 

only 1.5% walked or cycled to work. Walking and cycling are 

however among the most popular recreation activities in Australia. 


44 


4 COMMUNITY VISION & VALUES 

4.1 Community Engagement Process 

One of the City of Stirling’s primary aims of the local area planning 

programme is to create stronger bonds and better lines of 

communication with its communities. The City recognises that many 

residents and business operators have a keen interest in the 

planning for the future of their neighbourhoods, and that fair and 

balanced planning is best delivered through the active involvement 

of those it affects. Wide public consultation prior to preparing plans 

can also produce plans that are better informed and publicly 

supported. The local area planning programme was therefore 

introduced to provide the City with an effective method for working 

together with local communities to create clear and strong visions 

for each locality. To develop sound local area plans there needs to 

be a high degree of public involvement through a thoughtfully 

designed public consultation program that is effective in the 

following five key elements: 

1. Identify who makes up the local community and what other 

stakeholders should be consulted. 

2. Encourage a wide representation of the community and 

stakeholders to take part. 

3. Enable people to be actively involved in planning and 

decision making from the start of the project. 

4. Ensure community views and values are understood and 

incorporated into subsequent plans. 

5. Ensure public satisfaction through the adoption and 

implementation of a plan they support. 

The Dianella Local Area community members, groups and 

stakeholders that were identified included landowners, residents, 

business owners, community interest, social, environmental and 

cultural groups, local schools and government agencies. To 

encourage a wide variety of people to participate, advertising, 

personal invitations, a random mail out, local word of mouth and 

other marketing techniques were used. Three different events were 

undertaken, so that people could get involved in different ways, and 

the events were carefully designed so that people could have a real 

impact on decision making. These events were undertaken prior to 

the local area plan or actions being developed by the City so that 

community input would be integral to the plan, not an afterthought, 

and the consultation results are now being translated into action. 

The City engaged public consultation experts who have been 

involved in major planning and local government consultation 

projects across Western Australia to assist in the design and 

conduct of the public consultation process. A three-stage 

community engagement programme was designed to gain the 

active involvement of the local community and relevant 

stakeholders in the discovery of issues and opportunities, 

developing a vision, and identifying community priorities. The key 

objectives for the consultation brief were: 


45 


‣ To engage and retain maximum community involvement 

from the City’s diverse demographic profile and many active 

groups, being particularly inclusive of ‘silent voices’; 

‣ To work with the community in developing a vision for the 

Local Area and subsequent objectives; 

‣ To develop strategies with the community, in accordance 

with relevant strategic and statutory documents, for the 

formulation of an outcome based action plan; 

‣ To incorporate the City’s objectives and visions as outlined 

within the City’s Local Planning Strategy and other key 

strategic and statutory documents; 

‣ To engage the community in ‘active’ decision making that 

will deliver tangible results, which will result in a positive 

change in the community’s perception of Local Government. 

Council officers from relevant business units, State government 

agencies and a range of community organisations/representatives 

were encouraged to attend the workshop. Community 

availability/interest in the weekday event was limited and the total of 

25 participants included Council staff, community and State 

Government representatives. Notwithstanding the relatively low 

attendance, the workshop was very useful in bringing together staff 

from different business units to share knowledge and experiences, 

external participants also had strong knowledge and experience 

across economic, environmental and social fields. In summary, a 

good range and number of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities 

and threats were identified across the three fields. The data 

produced is discussed further in this document and the SWOT 

summary is presented in Appendix B. 

Expert and Stakeholder Groups Workshop 

A one-day stakeholder workshop was conducted on 24 March 2006 

to commence public consultation for the project. The aim of the 

workshop was to bring together a range of key stakeholders to 

conduct an ‘expert workshop’ to review current issues, policies and 

forces affecting the local area and to identify specific opportunities 

and constraints within the area. To achieve this a ‘triple bottom line 

SWOT analysis’ was conducted, i.e. identifying and discussing 

economic, social and environmental Strengths, Weaknesses, 

Opportunities and Threats. This information was required to 

develop questions for a community survey, to produce data for 

further community discussion, and to assist in the local area plan 

formulation. The objective was to discover a wide range and 

amount of information regarding the local economy, environment 

and community. The workshop did not concentrate on problem 

solving or community priorities. 

Community Survey 

A community survey was designed by the consultant team, based 

on topics of interest identified by the City and on the issues raised 

at the Stakeholder Workshop, including questions suggested by 

participants. The aim of the survey was to capture community 

values and attitudes and establish an accurate picture of the 

community’s aspirations and concerns. A random sample of 4,000 

local residents was obtained from the electoral role in order to 

achieve a representative sample of the total population. The size of 

the sample (4,000 people) ensures a wide range of age and other 

demographic features is represented and the response rate of 535 

surveys provides a 95% confidence level that the results are no 

more 4.5% different to the results that would be obtained by 

surveying the total population (22,500 people). A shortcoming of 

the response rate was however a very poor response from those 


46 


aged 18 - 29, a total of 23 surveys, which is too small a proportion 

to accurately represent the wider opinions of this aged group. 

The survey contained 15 questions to gauge residents perceptions 

on attributes and services; what is special in the area and what 

needs to be improved; activities undertaken by residents in and 

outside the area; opinions on the area’s character and density; and 

satisfaction levels with the City, the local area and services and 

facilities. The result of the survey were summarised by the survey 

consultant as: 

‘Residents of the Dianella Local Area were very satisfied with the 

areas as a place to live, and wanted to see moderate change to 

the area over the next 20 years. They exhibited a general desire 

to find a balanced solution across most areas of consideration.’ 

Dialogue with Dianella – an innovative community planning forum 

The ‘Dialogue’, held on 29 April 2006, was a large one-day meeting 

designed to enable multiple small group discussions to be brought 

together as one large community dialogue. This was done through 

small table facilitated discussion, networked computers and a team 

that analysed inputs and projected feedback to the meeting of the 

most common themes and comments. Participants then voted on 

this feedback to create lists of community priorities. The aim of this 

day was to encourage maximum sharing of information and opinion, 

both between the City and residents and amongst residents in order 

to create in-depth discussion and deliberation on key issues. The 

format of the day allowed all comments to be recorded to achieve 

maximum participation, the system recorded individual, table, 

minority, and whole group inputs. 

A total of 135 participants, predominately local residents aged 40 

and over, took part in the six hour forum. Four main discussions 

were conducted on the topics of ‘Vision for the Future’, ‘Guiding 

Principles’, ‘Things to Keep and Change’ and ‘Unexplored 

Potential’. A common result of most table discussions was 

individuals putting forward ideas and requests of physical changes 

and improvements in the area. Social attributes and activities were 

highlighted, to a lesser degree, and a desire to keep some key 

elements demonstrated some fear of loosing key assets or 

attributes. Group consensus was also found on many issues. 

Participant satisfaction with the Dialogue was high, with feedback 

indicating 89% of participants thought the day went quite well or 

very well. Between 70-80% of all participants felt that the outcomes 

of the day reflected their own views and their table’s views well and 

that common ground for the whole group had been identified. Over 

half of the participants stated that their views had changed or 

broadened significantly as a result of the deliberations. Participants 

were given a summary report at the end of the day and the full data 

set was recorded by the City for further analysis. 


47 


4.2 Key Consultation Findings 

The community engagement programme was designed to elicit 

information and opinion from the community and stakeholders on a 

vision for the area’s future, and on a range of issues and topics 

relevant to the area and to the City of Stirling’s responsibilities, such 

as community development, recreation or housing. The topics 

covered are presented and analysed in this and the following 

Chapter (5) and the consultation findings are also central to the 

Local Area Strategy in Part 1. The consultation methodology was 

designed to gather different types of information from participants in 

order to develop the total local area plan. The key areas of 

investigation were: 

were ‘very dissatisfied’. Analysis of community feedback indicated 

that this satisfaction with the area appears mainly to come from 

moderate to high levels of satisfaction with the types of services 

and amenities available, the general condition or appearance of the 

area, feeling safe and secure, the area’s location in the metropolitan 

region, and the mix and amount of people living there. 

Overall, how satisfied are you with the Dianella Local Area as a place to 

live? 

20% 

23% 

24% 

‣ Community Values 

‣ Issues and Concerns 

‣ Opportunities and Ideas 

‣ Vision for the Future of the Local Area 

‣ Community Priorities 

Very 

satisfied 

12% 

10% 

5% 

4% 

1% 1% 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 

Very 

dissatisfied 

Community Values 

The workshop, survey and Dialogue were all utilised to investigate 

what the core values of local residents are – how they feel about 

the area in which they live; what’s important to them in the area and 

in planning and decision making; and are there commonly shared 

values that can be considered ‘community values’? 

They survey demonstrated that residents are generally quite happy 

with their local area. When asked how satisfied they are with 

Dianella as a place to live 77% of respondents gave a positive 

response and only 11% fell towards a negative response – only 1% 

Residents feel that the area does not really have an identifiable 

character or image. Some suburbs or locations are easily 

identifiable with an image or character, sometimes positive or 

negative, such as a heritage, vibrant or even dangerous image. 

However the Dianella Local Area is considered to have a relatively 

indistinct and neutral character, only 18% of survey respondents felt 

the area had a distinctive character. Other consultation findings 

indicated that some people felt the area had a boring, suburban 

image, being indistinct from other Perth suburbs. However when 

asked whether people felt the local area’s character was positive or 

negative most people felt it was neither. Only 14% felt it had a 

negative character – only 2% said very negative. 


48 


Aesthetic elements were identified as key elements contributing to 

what character the locality does have. Landscaping, maintenance 

and general appearance were thought to contribute most to the 

current local character and, importantly, these three elements were 

also identified as most important for developing a stronger local 

character. The type of people living in the area was also identified 

as influencing its character, whilst the built form was not considered 

to make a significant contribution. 

What things most heavily contribute to the character of the area? 

CHARACTER ELEMENT 

% RESPONDENTS 

Gardens, plants and trees in the area 64% 

The level of maintenance (parks, verges) 62% 

The overall appearance of the area 62% 

The mix of family types 40% 

Income levels / occupations of residents 36% 

The mix of cultures in the area 33% 

The ‘density’ of development / building 33% 

Architectural style(s) 24% 

The age of the buildings 18% 

The level of activity or vibrancy 13% 

The importance of the natural environment and landscaping to the 

local community was emphasised in several aspects of the 

consultation findings. In the survey, parks and reserves were clearly 

identified as the most special places to residents, especially by 

those living close to Dianella Open Space and Breckler Park. 

Bushland conservation, park maintenance, trees and private 

gardens and a general green leafy image were all major points of 

discussion of the Dialogue and the SWOT analysis. The community 

vision (see p.54) demonstrates that a green leafy image for the 

local area is the most common and supported community value. 

The Dialogue enabled the development of ‘guiding principles’ – core 

values the community commonly share (although not universally 

agreed upon) that should guide the future direction of the area: 

Social guiding principles 

• Safe and secure environment - security patrols and lighting. 

• Provide for special needs sectors of the community - services 

and facilities for youth, seniors, disabled and ethnic minorities. 

• Improve community ‘wellness’ - promote and share recreation 

facilities and increase health and medical facilities. 

• Bring the community together - celebrations and activities. 

Economic guiding principles 

• Encourage a land use mix which promotes economic growth - 

key areas of mixed use residential, recreation and commercial. 

• Support local business - strengthen and support commercial 

centres, small business and home businesses. 

• Make workplaces more accessible - proximity and access. 

• Review the value/role of the industrial precinct. 

• Density has an economic value - some medium density needed. 

Environmental guiding principles 

• Sustainable water use - public and private. 

• Energy efficient building design. 

• Quality and quantity in open space provision. 

• Protect and promote native flora and fauna - parks, reserves, 

gardens, trees and verges. 

• High quality waste removal and recycling service. 


49 


Issues and Concerns 

The SWOT workshop was used to identify what concerns 

individuals had about the local area and what issues need 

addressing, resolving or further exploration. The workshop 

harnessed the knowledge, experience or technical expertise of 

those who work with or in the local area, with local community 

groups, or in key disciplines. The main concerns or issues to be 

addressed identified in the local environment, economy and 

community include: 

• Negative impacts of infill development – loss of bushland 

and backyard trees, poor design of new housing. 

• Lack of sustainability/environmental policies. 

• High resource use and waste generation. 

• Ageing housing stock and social infrastructure. 

• Lack of housing diversity to meet community needs. 

• Boring image of the area. 

• Lack of local employment opportunities. 

• Need for economic and employment diversity. 

• Possible evening and night-time activity/economy. 

• Limited land for economic growth and diversity. 

• Poor design of retail centres. 

• Commercial competition from other areas. 

Whilst community consensus or some level of agreement could be 

found on many issues, there are other issues that are more 

contentious, where different sectors of the community have 

opposing views that are difficult to reconcile. The main example in 

Dianella is the issues of housing density. As the table below shows, 

there are sectors of the community that want densities raised or 

lowered, whilst a large portion prefers them to stay as is. 

How attractive are the following density and zoning options to you? 

Whole area remains 

low density - zoning 

left as it is. 

Changes allow some 

areas of slightly 

higher density. 

The area where you 

live is changed to a 

higher density zoning 

Very 

attractive 

Quite 

attractive 

No strong 

opinion 

Not very 

attractive 

Not at all 

attractive 

49% 22% 14% 10% 5% 

9% 28% 13% 22% 28% 

7% 10% 7% 20% 56% 

• There is no central heart to the area. 

• Communication problems between community and Stirling. 

• Lack of community interaction and strength. 

• Lack of services for the aged – social, health, security. 

• Lack of facilities and spaces for youth and children. 

• Dependence on cars, lack of transport choices and public 

transport problems. 

Changes allow some 

areas of medium and 

some high density. 

Zonings are lowered 

to stop any more 

subdivision. 

6% 18% 15% 24% 37% 

29% 21% 21% 16% 13% 


50 


Analysis of relevant questions from the survey shows that there are 

four distinct groups in the community with different opinions on 

density: 

Group 1 (41% of respondents): Are opposed to increased density 

zonings, yet are attracted to both retaining the existing zonings and 

also to reducing zonings to prevent further subdivision. 

Group 2 (19%): Are happy with current densities. They don’t mind 

introducing some areas of higher density development – so long as 

it isn’t in the area where they live themselves. They do not find highdensity 

development or lowering densities attractive. 

Group 3 (24%): Are somewhat undecided. They are moderately and 

equally attracted to increasing, decreasing or maintaining density 

elsewhere, but do not want densities increased where they live. 

Group 4 (16%): Are the opposite of group 1. They are not satisfied 

with current densities and do not support lowering densities. They 

support increasing densities in some areas – including where they 

live. They are also quite attracted to zoning that allows some areas 

of high-density development. 

Analysis of demographics does not show that these groups are 

heavily influenced by how long people have lived in the area or 

whereabouts they live - although those in the R25 and R30 areas 

more often stated densities were too high. In summary, 41% of 

residents want densities to stay as is or be lowered, 16% want 

densities to be increased, and 43% show some support for 

increases in densities in the area as long as it’s not where they live. 

The community’s environmental values were highlighted in the 

issues and concerns raised in consultation. The loss of bushland, 

backyard gardens and trees were raised as issues of concern to 

many participants in all three consultation exercises. Sustainability 

issues were also repeatedly raised, such as water and energy use 

by individuals, Stirling and businesses. The survey responses also 

showed fairly strong support for sustainability or environmentally 

friendly building controls being introduced. There was however 

considerably less support for guidelines that control building design 

from an aesthetic point of view. 

The topic of traffic and transport was also raised as an area of 

concern for a number of residents. Different issues were raised 

including traffic management - such as speeding on local streets; 

the availability and frequency of public transport; and facilities for 

walking and cycling. The demand for cycling facilities, such as dual 

use paths, was the most dominant traffic and transport issue. 

Although a high amount of bike use by residents was not identified, 

the desire for more non-car based transport may relate back to 

environmental values. 

Other notable issues that reoccurred in consultation was the 

concept of ‘community’, with people feeling there was a lack of 

interaction and activity and 45% of survey respondents stated the 

‘sense of community’ was too weak. Local employment 

opportunities were also of concern - most particularly the lack of 

range of employment outside of retail. 44% of survey respondents 

felt that the opportunities to work in the area were about right, yet 

53% felt that such opportunities were too few. 

The table overleaf summaries how residents feel towards a range of 

local issues. 


51 


How do you feel about living in the Dianella Local Area? 

A 

lot 

A 

little 

About 

right 

A 

little 

A 

lot 

The balance of residential areas with 

business and entertainment areas is: 

Too much 

residential 

2% 14% 77% 6% 1% 

Too much business / 

entertainment 

The variety of people living in the area is 

(aged, ethnicity, occupation etc): 

Too mixed 6% 11% 76% 7% 0% Not mixed enough 

The amount of parks and ovals within 

walking distance of your home is: 

The range of sizes and types of 

housing in the area is: 

More than 

you need 

Too much 

variety 

3% 6% 76% 10% 5% Not enough 

5% 8% 71% 12% 4% Too little variety 

Availability of public transport in the 

area is: 

The amount and range of community 

facilities, services and activities is: 

Too much 1% 4% 64% 22% 9% Too little 

Too much 0% 3% 62% 28% 7% Too little 

General traffic flow and parking in the 

area is: 

Too congested 10% 23% 61% 5% 1% 

Not as busy as it 

could be 

The amount of bushland, wetlands and 

trees conserved in the area is: 

Too much for 

an urban area 

2% 3% 60% 22% 13% Not enough 

Housing densities in the area are: 

Higher than 

they should be 

12% 24% 55% 6% 3% 

Lower than 

they should be 

The sense of community is: Over-powering 1% 2% 52% 37% 8% Too weak 

Consideration for the needs of people who 

get around on bike or on foot is: 

Too high 1% 1% 44% 34% 20% Too low 

Opportunities to work in the area are: Too great 1% 2% 44% 41% 12% Too few 


52 


Opportunities and Ideas 

Dialogue participants were asked to discuss the unexplored 

potential of the Dianella Local Area and put forward their ideas for 

different areas; the SWOT also identified local opportunities. 

Opinions and ideas varied but the most common ideas included - 

‣ Develop Dianella Plaza as the heart of Dianella with mixeduse 

or recreation, dining, medical and community facilities. 

‣ Upgrading and centralising community facilities such as the 

library, community centre and child health clinic. 

‣ Higher residential densities around shopping centres. 

‣ Improve the appearance and range of built form and housing. 

‣ Elsegood Industrial area to become mixed-use including 

residential, parkland and cafes. 

‣ Cleanup and develop vacant sites especially at Dianella Plaza 

and Walter Road. 

‣ Explore opportunities from the television station precinct. 

‣ Develop or promote alternative transport to car use. 

‣ Better weekend public transport options. 

‣ Improving footpaths and cycleways e.g. cycle plan for the 

whole suburb, dual use paths and overpasses on major roads. 

‣ More aged care facilities e.g. on Council and civic land. 

‣ More entertainment and nightlife for all ages. 

‣ More activities and facilities to bring the community together 

e.g. concerts, recreational walks, public participation. 

‣ Harness the potential of the diverse population e.g. celebrate 

different cultures, develop a retiree’s volunteer force. 

‣ Upgrade and better utilise Jim Satchell recreation centre. 

‣ Shared use of Stirling, Bayswater and school facilities. 

‣ Develop facilities such as an eco-centre, cafes and youth 

facilities at the larger open space reserves. 

Survey participants were asked to identify one thing that was 

missing from the area, that they went elsewhere for yet would like to 

see in the Dianella Local Area. From all the individual suggestions 

a strong theme emerged - dining, entertainment and nightlife are 

the main things missing in the area. Many residents often went 

elsewhere for an evening meal, a drink and weekend entertainment. 

A range of speciality shops, commercial services and a lack of 

department stores was also commonly mentioned, approximately 

85% of residents do their grocery shopping in the local area, yet 

80% go elsewhere for other shopping needs. 

A lack of vibrancy in the area was highlighted throughout the 

consultation findings and this is perhaps the reason why there was 

moderately strong support for the establishment of a mixed-use 

town centre with a variety of shopping, office, entertainment and 

medium density residential developed. Of those who supported the 

concept, the Dianella Plaza precinct was the clearly preferred 

location. However 23% of survey respondents were strongly 

opposed to the concept anywhere in the local area. 

Improvement or redevelopment of the Dianella Plaza precinct was 

strongly demanded by the community, especially Dialogue 

participants. Improvement of the Mirrabooka Regional Centre were 

also sought, however this centre was not so readily associated with 

the local area. Other places for improvement included parks and 

road verges, vacant sites and community centres. 


53 


Vision for the Future of the Local Area 

Developing a commonly embraced community vision is a major 

objective of the Local Area Planning Project and as such was a 

focus of Dialogue with Dianella. Participants submitted their 

individual visions for the future of the area in ten to fifteen years 

time at the start of the day, then following the day’s discussion they 

reflected on their own and other’s suggestions, then ranked and 

voted on a selection of the most popular vision themes. The top ten 

vision themes and the degree of votes they received are displayed 

in the graph below. The outcomes of the visioning exercise were 

reinforced by many of the comments and findings of the Community 

Survey and the Stakeholder and Groups Workshop, where similar 

visions to the top 10 list were also highlighted. Overall, residents do 

not want to see radical change in the area over the coming years; 

survey responses illustrate residents generally want to see a 

moderate degree of change, with a minority wanting little to no 

change. Rather than total change residents want improvements in 

certain key locations and strengthening or protecting existing 

positive features. 

Vision for the Future – Top 10 Community Preferences 

1. Green leafy suburb, parks & bushland 

2. Vibrant suburb with community spirit 

3. A safe place to live 

4. Revitalised Dianella Plaza precinct 

5. Improved public transport 

6. Transport choices other than cars 

7. Diverse population 

8. Improved pedestrian access 

9. Some areas of increased density 

10. Area remains the same as now 

The community vision for the Dianella Local Area 

is for it to have a green leafy character 

dominated by trees, parks and bushland. Key 

precincts will become more vibrant through 

improved commercial and community amenities 

and an active, diverse community, yet the area 

will maintain the feeling of a safe place to be. 

Improvements will be sought in areas of 

concern, such as transport and housing choices, 

yet in 2020 the area will still feel quite similar to 

how it does today. 

0 200 400 600 800 


54 


Community Priorities 

In order to develop an action and implementation plan for the local 

area it is essential to identify what is most important to the 

community and what issues need to be addressed first. It is also 

necessary to identify what can realistically be achieved in a short 

term time frame and what other issues and opportunities require 

longer term investigation or implementation. This requires 

acknowledging that not all ideas can be achieved, rather effective 

planning and management requires selecting the proposals that 

have the most community support, are the most needed in the local 

economy, community or environment, or will have the most 

significant impact or benefit. To assist in this process the 

community engagement process has been used to identify what is 

important to the local community, to individuals or to specific 

groups. The survey and Dialogue have produced information on 

community priorities – issues or ideas that are important to the most 

amount of individuals and the collective community. 

The following table presents the most important areas residents 

want to see improvements in. This includes physical areas as well 

as aspects of the local area community, environment and economy. 

It shows the number one preferences and how often each aspect 

was in an individual’s top three. Clearly cycling, traffic and parking 

issues were top priorities, as were conservation and community 

amenities. Changes to housing density could however mean either 

lowering or increasing current levels. 

What three local aspects would you most like to improve? 

Most Top 3 

LOCAL ASPECT 

Important Preferences 

Needs of cyclists & pedestrians 17% 44% 

Housing densities 14% 29% 

Traffic flow and parking 14% 29% 

Bushland, wetland, tree conservation 11% 30% 

Community facilities, services, activities 10% 36% 

The sense of community 9% 23% 

Availability of public transport 8% 24% 

Parks & ovals within walking distance 5% 15% 

Opportunities to work in the area 4% 16% 

Housing, business & entertainment mix 3% 12% 

The variety of people living in the area 2% 10% 

Range of sizes and types of housing 2% 14% 

The graphs overleaf illustrate the top five priorities for things that 

should be kept in the local area and the top five things that need to 

be changed. These priority lists are a result of deliberations, voting 

and rankings in the Dialogue. 


55 


Top 5 Priorities - What we want to KEEP 

Top 5 Priorities - What we want to CHANGE 

Greenery, bushland, open spaces 

Revitalise plaza/hotel/library precinct 

Recreation facilities and activities 

Build dual use pathways 

Low density residential zonings 

Improve transport choices 

All schools and surrounding bushland 

Better traffic control and parking 

Ongoing upgrading of shopping 

centres 

0 100 200 300 400 500 

Create central community hub/town 

centre 

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 


56 


4.3 Other Public Consultation Findings 

In addition to the community consultation undertaken for local area 

planning, the City also regularly consults with the public on a range 

of projects and in periodic reviews of its service levels. Some of 

these major projects should be compared with local area findings: 

Community Needs Study 

The Community Needs Study, conducted in 2005, was a 

comprehensive City-wide project. The study aimed to identify if the 

City is providing the services, facilities and programmes required by 

existing communities, and if they will meet community needs for the 

coming ten years. The findings assist in planning, programming and 

funding decisions and also provide insight into local priorities. 

In one exercise participants selected their preferred scenario on 

where future population and housing growth should be 

accommodated. Generally there was more preference for ongoing 

infill development at a low to medium density level, rather than 

nodes of high-density development. However residents of the 

south-east of the city (including south Dianella) were those most in 

favour of higher densities along major roads and around shopping 

centres, public transport and community facilities, as well as being 

less supportive of ongoing general infill development. This is 

consistent with the local area planning findings. 

Residents in the south-east of Stirling were also least in favour of 

disposal of small undeveloped parks and reserves, 56% of those 

involved in the study wanted to retain all ‘pocket parks’. However 

residents in the north-east were slightly more in favour of the sale of 

some small undeveloped parks to use the proceeds for upgrading 

other local parks. The Dianella local area consultation found 

however there was not support for disposal of parks and that 

residents North of Yirrigan Drive and those in the south-east of the 

local area felt there was not enough local parks. 

The Study also identified services and facilities that residents and 

businesses would most like improved. Out of a list of 33 services 

and facilities provided by the City, the top areas for improvement 

requested by residents in both north and south of Dianella included: 

• An increase in local park facilities; 

• An increase in street lighting; 

• An increase in verge mowing; 

• Additional programs and facilities for young people; and 

• An increase in footpath and cycleway maintenance. 

Customer Tracking Surveys 

Annual telephone surveys are conducted to assess residents’ 

awareness, usage and satisfaction with the City’s services and 

facilities. The results are City-wide rather than locally specific yet 

provide guidance on areas for improvement. In 2005 the services 

and facilities that received the highest resident satisfaction ratings 

were the City’s libraries, community centres, and child health 

centres, as well as parks and reserves and services for the elderly 

and disabled. Residents were least satisfied with noise control, dog 

control, road maintenance and planning and building approval 

services. There are some similarities here with the local area 

findings, however the surveys found a demand for improvements in 

the City’s services, whilst the Dianella community priorities were 

more focused on improving locations and attributes within Dianella. 


57 


5 KEY ISSUES & OPPORTUNITIES 

5.1 Open Space & the Natural Environment 

Community Value & Local Character 

Community consultation has identified that open space and the 

natural environment are the most valued aspects of the local area. 

The community vision, community priorities, the survey and SWOT 

analysis all demonstrate that these elements are integral to the 

current character of the area and important in developing a stronger 

local identity. Physical changes due to urban infill, combined with 

rising environmental awareness have led to more community 

concern for the natural character of the area. Yet it is evident that 

the community has felt somewhat powerless to stop the 

degradation of this character and would like more involvement in 

decision making, or more action from the City. It is very important 

to the community to both protect existing bushland, vegetation, 

trees and spaces, as well as to improve plantings, landscaping and 

open spaces. This will protect what is special about the area and 

build on this character to develop a more distinctive locality. 

Local identity can be enhanced through developing street tree or 

streetscape planting themes for specific precincts, and by the City 

and residents increasing locally native landscaping in reserves, 

verges and private gardens. Widespread planting of the Dianella 

plant could also create a unique and meaningful landscape 

character. Limiting further infill development, by maintaining current 

residential zonings can provide a strong degree of protection to 

existing gardens and trees. The City should also investigate 

possibilities for protecting significant trees on private land. 

Street Trees 

The loss of street trees has been raised as a significant concern by 

many in the local community. The City highly values the 

environmental and aesthetic value of its street trees and does not 

support their removal when they are merely not wanted by abutting 

property owners. However when a property has development 

potential under its current zoning and development cannot be 

achieved without removal of a street tree, than its removal is usually 

supported. This is done to support infill development in established 

areas of Perth so as to reduce outward urban growth with the 

associated loss of bushland and other environmental problems. The 

City may also remove trees that are diseased or dangerous. 

The City’s Street Tree Removal Policy controls the removal of street 

trees and facilitates replacement of trees when they are removed 

through development. The City also has an ongoing program of 

street tree planting and planting new trees at a property owner's 

request. In 2006 over 60 street trees have been planted in Dianella. 

However plantings can be constrained by adjoining property owners 

refusing new plantings, people damaging and removing trees and 

insufficient room within the verge. At present removal is surpassing 

replacement in Dianella and illegal pruning and removal of trees is 

evident in the area. Individual requests from property owners offer 

the most realistic opportunity for increasing street tree numbers. 

The City is supportive of planting requests where ever possible and 

it proves a much more long term success than planting trees in 

locations against owners desires. Nevertheless the City must 

continue to pursue replacement at development sites and place 

more emphasis on the whole streetscape and the wider 


58 


community’s desires, removal at one site could be balanced by 

planting elsewhere on the street. Negative variations to the City’s 

Street Tree Removal or Landscaping policies should not be 

supported in the Dianella Local Area. 

Parks & Reserves 

Parks and reserves across the local area are highly valued by the 

community. Dianella Regional Open Space and Breckler Park have 

been identified as the community’s favourite local places, and 

bushland reserves are also valued by many. Generally the City is 

facing demands for more parks or easier access, increased 

facilities, and reticulation of reserves; yet these were not raised as 

major issues by the Dianella community. The consultation findings 

show local priorities are a concern for a loss of open spaces and 

bushland and for sustainable water use and waste management. 

Where do you feel that the balance should lie between: 

55% 

The majority of residents are satisfied with their access to parks, 

although this was a key area for improvement for residents north of 

Yirrigan Drive and has previously been identified by the City as an 

issue in the south-west of the locality. The amount and quality of 

facilities within parks was also not highlighted as a major issue, yet 

there is a community desire for more places and activities that bring 

people together. There is considerable opposition to the sale of 

small, underused parks to pay for improvements on others. If any 

disposal is to be considered by the City, further consultation will be 

needed with all residents close to the site. The development of a 

local area open space plan should concentrate on opportunities for 

developing ‘community parks’ as key places for interaction, and on 

bushland conservation and increased tree planting. 

Resource Use & Sustainability 

Planning for the future of the local area must consider the 

sustainability of current practices and situations. The City has a 

very successful waste management programme with up to 70% of 

household waste being recycled, however there continues to be 

some misunderstanding and mistrust of the programme within the 

wider community. Ongoing promotion of the program is needed, 

especially for new residents to Stirling, (although less resource use 

in the first instance is much more preferable). 

Fewer parks and 

ovals, but those 

provided are 

bigger and/or 

have more 

facilities 

6% 7% 7% 

8% 

5% 

4% 

5% 

3% 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 

Community Survey Response 

More parks and 

ovals provided, 

but with less 

facilities and/or 

reticulation 

The local community also supports measures for more sustainable 

natural resource use, particularly with regard to water and energy 

use in private dwellings and parks. This is very important given 

current environmental and resource problems WA is facing. The 

state government has an important role in promoting and 

encouraging better management of natural resources and better 

housing design. The community desire for more alternatives to 

private car use should also be supported by state and local 


59 


government through the provision of more sustainable transport 

options. Better management of urban infill and the associated 

environmental problems is also required of both government levels. 

Biodiversity Conservation 

The Local Area is in the fortunate position of having a number of 

large bushland areas protected as designated reserves. Having 

both appropriate size areas and a connected network of bushland 

and vegetation is essential to maintaining the biodiversity of local 

fauna and flora. Maintaining this network in Dianella is assisted by 

the City’s Green Plan 2 and the state Bush Forever strategy, which 

both identify ecological links and areas for protection and 

improvement in the local area. 

There are however a number of areas of remnant bushland within 

Dianella that are not owned or managed by the City. Green Plan 2 

identifies that there are significant bushland areas at Mirrabooka 

High School and at the four state primary schools. The City should 

continue to encourage each of these schools to retain and manage 

these important areas. The Department of Education and Training 

have shown initial interest in partial disposal of surplus land at some 

of its schools within Stirling. Any rezoning or redevelopment of sites 

in the local area, if supported by the City, should seek to have 

significant bushland areas dedicated as reserves. 

There is also some interest by the television stations to relocate or 

to dispose of surplus land. This precinct has remnant bushland 

linked with Cottonwood Crescent Reserve and supports the local 

kangaroos. Retention of bushland and ecological links should be 

sought in any future development, disposal or rezoning within the 

Media Precinct. This could be achieved through higher density 

tradeoffs for part residential redevelopment / part conservation. 

5.2 Community Development & Facilities 

Community Cohesion and Involvement 

The Dianella Local Area has a large and diverse population with a 

mix of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, as well as diversity in age, 

income and employment demographics. This diversity has been 

identified as a great community asset, something that should be 

celebrated and maintained into the future. Many people do feel 

however that the sense of community is too weak and that there 

needs to be more community spirit and more involvement in local 

activities. Having a ‘vibrant suburb with community spirit’ is the 

second top priority of the community vision for the future. 

Community bonds can be built through more involvement in local 

events and activities; more physical activity that brings people out 

onto the street or taking part in activities were they can interact; and 

in having attractive, safe places were people want to meet and 

socialise. A stronger community can also come through more 

community involvement in decision making and planning. 

Developing a greater sense of community is a complicated goal, 

and not something that can be purely manufactured. Local 

government, community agencies, interest groups and community 

members all have an obligation to ‘get involved’. The Dianella 

community has expressed a desire to be more active and involved, 

and many have demonstrated this by taking part in the Dialogue. 

The City of Stirling must continue to support and facilitate this 

community development. Opportunities for the City to do this 

include: 

• The development of a community hub that brings people 

together for social, leisure and local needs. 


60 


• Development of more community parks in the area. 

• Continued support for Mirrabooka Picnic by the Ponds and 

concerts at Dianella Regional Open Space. 

• Working with groups such as the Youth Advisory Committee 

and Retirees WA to support youth and seniors aspirations. 

• Connecting residents to existing local sporting, social and 

support groups. 

• Providing guidance to those wanting to host community 

events or to start local community groups. 

• Continued improvements to communication between the City 

and local residents through direct mail, the City’s website, 

notice boards, meetings and events. 

• Appointing a Dianella Local Area coordinator to provide a 

point of contact and to strengthen City of Stirling and 

community ties. 

Community Amenities and Services 

The Dianella community is able to access a wide range of amenities 

and services within and around the local area. The community is 

fairly satisfied with their access to facilities such as parks, shops, 

schools and libraries and there is generally a good level and 

distribution of such facilities through most of the area. Residents 

have also acknowledged that they have some good specialist 

services such as the City’s security patrols or meals-on-wheels. 

These amenities are valued by the community and are important to 

be retained in the area. 

However some residents have identified that the City’s facilities in 

the area are aging and others are not aware of all the facilities and 

services the City offers. ‘Improvements to community facilities, 

services and activities’ was a top priority for survey respondents. 

The City has also recognised that the Dianella Community Centre, 

Jim Satchell Recreation Centre, the Child Health Centre and 

Dianella Library are aging, and are somewhat underutlised due to 

their condition and dispersal across the locality. The consolidation 

of these facilities into one contemporary, multifunction centre is 

something that the City should continue to pursue as a priority for 

the local community. Other areas for improvement include the 

provision of medical services and childcare, private service 

providers should be encouraged to develop such services in 

proximity to commercial and community facilities. Services, support 

and activities for seniors are also important in Dianella and this can 

be improved through the City’s forthcoming Seniors Plan. 

Developing a Community Heart 

The lack of a community heart in Dianella was clearly identified in 

community consultation. Whilst some suburbs have a commercial 

strip or recreational place that people identify as the community 

heart, residents of Dianella feel there is no central place that 

attracts people to meet, socialise, shop or recreate. Developing a 

central hub that brings the community together is important to 

pursuing the community vision of ‘a vibrant suburb with community 

spirit’. The Mirrabooka Regional Centre Improvement Strategy will 

facilitate the development of a social and commercial heart in the 

north of the Local Area. However the Dianella Plaza Precinct offers 

great potential for development of a smaller community hub for 

central Dianella. This requires improving and expanding the range 

of activities there, so that it is not seen as merely a retail 

environment. A strong community heart should include the City’s 

community centre and associated facilities, as well places and 

public spaces for leisure and socialising, with day, evening and 

weekend activity. 


61 


Safety and Security 

A key element of the community vision is for the Dianella Local 

Area to be ‘a safe place to live’. This is not to say that crime and 

security were highlighted as major problems in the area, rather it 

appears most people have a good sense of security and safety in 

the area and consider it very important to maintain a safe 

environment. There is however a degree of fear of crime and which 

can in part be attributed to the large senior population, some of 

whom feel more vulnerable. The following graphs display the most 

common community safety issues and crimes in Dianella. 

Vehicle Theft 

Graffiti 

Dwelling 

Burglary 

Assault 

Dianella 

Yokine 

Morley 

Nollamara 

The most serious problem for Stirling’s Community Safety unit 

appears to be graffiti, whilst reports of suspicious people or vehicles 

are not common. Household burglary is the most frequently 

reported crime in Dianella with an average of 17 per month, 

although statistics show burglary has declined over the past five 

years. Other burglary, assaults and car thefts average between 5- 

10 incidences of each per month. Reported crime rates in Dianella 

are generally comparable to that of surrounding suburbs, Nollamara 

and Yokine have slighter fewer crimes by volume yet are smaller 

suburbs, whilst Morley has higher levels of most crimes. 

The community plays an important role in local safety and security 

and must continue to report suspicious activities, crimes and 

problems. The City must also promote the services it offers to 

residents and businesses and ensure its security patrols have a 

visible presence in the area. Ensuring the local area is a safe place 

to live into the future also includes designing parks and public 

places to be safe, inviting and well lit, and also managing traffic 

problems. 

0 4 8 12 16 20 24 

Average Monthly Reported Crimes 2005 (WA Police) 

Verge parking 

School parking 

Dog unregistered 

Dog attack 

Abandoned vehicle 

Verge obstruction 

Suspicious person/vehicle 

Attempted break in 

Graffiti report 

0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 

Average Monthly Safety Reports Dianella 2005/06 (Stirling) 


62 


5.3 Transport & Infrastructure 

Road Network & Car Use 

The Dianella locality has a solid established road network, the 

majority of which is based on a grid layout that provides good 

connectivity and legibility, although the road layout to the north is 

not as well designed. Residential parking is contained almost 

entirely within carports, garages or driveways, thus not creating onstreet 

parking issues; whilst survey respondents expressed a desire 

for a balance between parking areas and proximity to the street for 

shopping centres. Based on community safety and traffic reports to 

the City, traffic flow and parking do not appear to be major problems 

in Dianella, however they have been identified as community 

priorities during consultation. The City must continue to be 

responsive to parking and speeding complaints and work on 

identifying and rectifying specific problem locations. 

The Dianella community, like much of Perth’s population, has a 

heavy dependence on car use as their primary or sole means of 

personal transport. In the face of increasing petrol prices, a looming 

oil crisis, increasing traffic congestion, air pollution and global 

warming, this dependence on cars proves unsustainable. Road 

construction and maintenance, and traffic accidents also place a 

heavy financial burden on the State. The community consultation 

findings demonstrate that the Dianella community are aware of this 

over dependence on cars and a strong desire was expressed to 

improve and support alternative methods of transport. This 

demonstrates to both local and state government that priorities on 

transport planning and funding must be modified to place greater 

emphasis on the non-car movement network, particularly as an 

established road network is already in place in Dianella. 

Public Transport 

‘Inadequate public transport services’ is a common complaint in 

Perth’s middle and outer suburbs, with Perth’s low density urban 

sprawl, combined with a preference for car use, making it difficult to 

provide an efficient public transport system. The Dianella Local 

Area, with it’s own bus station and close proximity to Morley and the 

Perth city centre, has a better public transport network than many 

other suburbs and enjoys regular services along major roads 

throughout the precinct. Mapping shows that at least 75% of 

residents are not more than 400 metres (five minutes walk) of 

regular bus services, all of which run at a high frequency in peak 

periods. Whilst 64% of survey respondents stated that public 

transport in Dianella is adequate, improvement to transport choices 

and public transport services are a key element of the community’s 

vision. 

Public transport in the local area is provided through the state’s 

Public Transit Authority and private service providers. The City is 

not directly responsible for providing public transport, yet does have 

a responsibility to work with the state agencies to address 

community needs. The introduction of the ‘Travelsmart’ project to 

the City of Stirling offers a great opportunity to work with the state 

government and local communities, including Dianella, to promote 

public transport and increase patronage. Increasing the use of 

existing services is possibly the best way to improve the overall 

system, as increased use will demonstrate support and demand for 

increased services. The City’s Travelsmart officer can use the 

Dianella consultation results and ongoing community feedback to 

work with public transport providers on possible improvements, and 

also to design locally specific Travelsmart projects. 


63 


Cycling 

Cycling is growing in popularity in Perth as both a recreational 

choice and as a means of transport. A clear community priority in 

Dianella is to improve the local cycling environment. Whilst Stirling 

has a city-wide Bike Plan and an identified safe and connected 

route through Dianella, it appears more needs to be done to 

facilitate cycling for recreation and transport. This should involve 

both providing more information and encouragement to the 

community, and improving facilities. The Travelsmart project can be 

used to provide better information to individuals, schools and 

recreational groups and also to develop projects to encourage more 

people to cycle, especially for short trips within the locality which do 

not require a car. The development of dual use paths or cycle lanes 

along major roads and within major recreation reserves is also 

needed to meet community goals. The costs of such work does 

require that this is a longer term goal, unless funding is redirected 

from other projects or sourced from state and federal grants. 

Walking 

Walking is the most popular physical recreation choice for 

Australians, due in large part to it being a free, easy and enjoyable 

way to obtain health and fitness benefits. However it is the least 

preferred transport choice, particularly for travelling to work. 

Dianella residents have expressed a desire to be less reliant on 

cars. Whilst walking is a personal choice for individuals to pursue, 

the City can encourage more walking in the area by developing and 

promoting recreational activities, by encouraging the development 

of places to walk to, and by maintaining a safe and attractive 

environment. The City’s Follow my Lead project establishes local 

recreational walking groups and the proposed Travelsmart 

Household project promotes walking to local schools and 

commercial centres. Both of these projects would be beneficial to 

achieving the Dianella community’s goals. Residents can also apply 

to the City for footpaths in streets where they are needed to 

improve their walking environment. 

Utilities 

The Dianella Local Area is in the fortunate position of having an 

established hard infrastructure network, including roads, sewers, 

power, water and telecommunications. The network is meeting 

current and forecast demand without showing signs of significant 

stress and the community consultation has not highlighted 

infrastructure problems. Yet two areas for possible improvement are 

water and power. The community values water conservation and 

feel Dianella parks need to be more ‘water wise’, whilst Stirling and 

WaterCorp drainage reserves need better amenity and upkeep. 

The majority of the northern half of Dianella, being more recently 

developed has underground power, which has a positive impact on 

streetscape amenity. However to the south of Morley Drive above 

ground power lines have a significant negative impact on the 

streetscape. This is not only due to the power lines themselves, yet 

more so to the effect they have on street trees. Street trees are the 

dominant element of many streetscapes in south Dianella and are 

highly valued by the community. The removal of power lines would 

allow the street trees to grow to the same height on both sides of 

the street and create a more attractive streetscape. Another power 

supply issue that has arisen elsewhere in Stirling, is the 

development of power substations. Whilst Western Power has not 

indicated a new substation will be needed in Dianella over the 

coming decade, Western Power and the City should seek to avoid 

any such future development in residential streets of the local area. 


64 


5.4 Economy and Employment 

Regional Role 

The Dianella Local Area is not a major player in the north-east 

metropolitan regional economy. The key economic and employment 

centres in this region are the industrial complex that covers much of 

Malaga and the Strategic Regional Centre of Morley which provides 

retail, personal and professional services and other associated 

businesses. Whilst the majority of Dianella households do their 

grocery shopping within the local area, survey results indicate that 

around 60% of residents do their non-essential shopping (clothes, 

goods etc) in Morley - this area is also popular for dining out. 

The City Centre, being only 6km from the southern edge of the 

precinct, is the most significant employment and economic hub for 

the local area. Survey results indicate that approximately 30% of 

Dianella’s workforce are employed in the City, East or West Perth, 

however the City centre was not a major shopping destination. 

Mount Lawley and Inglewood town centres are also shown to 

provide shopping, dining and employment opportunities to Dianella 

residents. The location and roles of employment, commercial and 

industrial precincts are controlled by the state government’s 

Metropolitan Centres Policy and the Metropolitan Region Scheme. 

The primary and predominant role of the Dianella Local Area is 

residential, and this will continue to be the case for the foreseeable 

future. Notwithstanding this, the locality does contain the 

Mirrabooka Regional Centre, which provides services and facilities 

to surrounding suburbs. The Mirrabooka Regional Centre 

Improvement Strategy offers the greatest ongoing opportunity to 

strengthen the regional significance of the Dianella Local Area. The 

recently gazetted new zonings provide for an extensive range of 

commercial, entertainment, service, and other economic activities. 

Dianella’s Media Precinct, containing Perth’s television stations, 

also provides a unique and important metropolitan role in 

developing and providing entertainment and culture, and providing 

opportunities for the Perth media industry. The Media Precinct may 

have the potential for further consolidating its role in Perth’s creative 

and technology based tertiary economy and to strengthen links with 

media business and education establishments. However its future 

in the area is uncertain with some stations considering relocation. 

The stations generally have larger buildings and land holdings than 

they now require and modern technology replaces the need for the 

stations to be located on such high ground (the original reason for 

locating in the area). A more compact cluster of TV stations or more 

diverse media related development may provide more longevity. 

Local Economy and Employment 

Business and employment opportunities in the local area are 

predominately commercial and retail based. Based on the limited 

data available to the City, local business growth appears fairly 

static. The survey results show that approximately 10% of the local 

population’s workforce works within the local area and over half the 

population feel that there are too few opportunities to work in the 

area. Unemployment is not currently a major issue for the local 

population, however this is dependent on the wider economy. Due 

to the area’s regional context and residential role, there is currently 

no major opportunity or need to radically alter the local economic 

and employment situation. However sustainability and world oil 

issues place an emphasis on the growing need for local 

employment. 


65 


Whilst local employment and business growth has not been 

identified as a community priority, the economic principles 

established from Dialogue stress that Stirling and the local 

community should support local business and commercial centres 

and allow a land use mix that enables economic growth. The two 

areas that offer the most significant opportunities for increased local 

business and employment growth are home business, and the 

Mirrabooka Regional Centre. The City supports home business 

operation so that people can operate businesses that have a low 

impact on residential amenity from home. The recently created 

position of Economic Development Officer within the City offers 

opportunities to further support and communicate with those 

wishing to operate home businesses. 

The Mirrabooka Regional Centre Improvement Strategy also 

provides zoned land, support and opportunities for business growth. 

The City’s draft Commercial Strategy has not identified a need for 

increased commercial zoned land in the locality, however the 

Industrial Precinct and the Plaza Precinct offer potential for 

increasing land use mix. There is a fair degree of support in the 

community for this, so too for increased evening activity in these 

areas, such as dining and entertainment. 

limited interest and opposition to rezoning. This attitude may 

however have changed in recently, given the major growth in 

residential land values. Council has previously expressed support 

for the redevelopment of the entire precinct for residential land, yet 

is not prepared to support individual and adhoc rezoning. 

The conversion of the precinct to residential use represents 

diminished land use diversity in the locality, which is undesirable 

from a planning perspective. From an economic perspective it 

means the loss of local businesses and local employment 

opportunities. However the precinct’s ongoing viability is 

constrained by its unlikely ability to further expand and the 

competition from larger industrial complexes such as Malaga, 

Balcatta and Osborne Park. A study of the industrial area’s worth 

from land use, economic, amenity and community perspectives is 

needed and this should form the basis of a strategy to guide its 

future direction. The site may also have contaminated soil and 

ground water from industrial activity, which may need to be 

remediated by landowners before redevelopment can take place. 

Dianella Industrial Precinct 

The Dianella industrial precinct has had quite a poor appearance for 

a long time, with an unkempt streetscape and aging and derelict 

properties. This is an area of concern for the Dianella community, 

the City of Stirling, and for some landowners within the precinct. 

Local area planning consultation has shown a strong support for 

improvement or redevelopment of the area for residential or mixeduse, 

yet past consultation with the industrial landowners has shown 

Examples of the poor appearance of the Industrial Precinct 


66 


The Plaza Precinct 

The Dianella Plaza Precinct, encompassing the area around the 

Centro Shopping Centre between the Dianella Hotel and the library, 

is a major area of concern for Dianella residents and offers 

significant opportunities for achieving community and local planning 

goals. Improvements to the appearance, function and activities 

within this precinct relate to the following findings: 

• The precinct is valued by the local community yet was 

consistently identified in community consultation as the key 

location in need of improvement, its revitalisation was 

identified as a top community priority and essential to 

achieving the ‘community vision’. 

without driving, and more people to support the commercial 

activities. 

• Improvements strategies have been pursued for the 

Mirrabooka Regional Centre and for some local centres in the 

area, however no plans have yet been made for this district 

centre. Its improvement will generate local economic and 

employment growth. 

Given these issues and opportunities, The Plaza Precinct can be 

identified as a strategic and important location in the Dianella Local 

Area to begin pursuing improvement and redevelopment. 

• Creating a vibrant community is also essential to the 

community vision and this can be pursued through community 

objectives of developing a ‘community hub’, providing more 

mixed-use development and more cafes/dining and evening 

activity. The precinct is a good location for this development 

and is the chosen location for it by the community. 

• The community has a strong desire for vacant and derelict 

sites to be redeveloped. The City supports this as it improves 

amenity, makes better use of land and makes the area more 

economically attractive. The derelict sites at the southern end 

offer development sites for a new multi-function community 

centre or apartments, offices and consulting rooms. 

The southern end of the Plaza Precinct needs rejuvenation 

• Support is shown for increased residential densities around 

shopping centres. Apartment development within the precinct 

and medium density housing around the precinct will provide 

more housing choice, access to amenities and facilities 


67 


5.5 Housing & the Built Environment 

Built Character & Local Identity 

Chapter 4 Community Vision & Values demonstrated that local 

residents feel the area does not have a strong character or identity. 

It has also been noted that a green leafy character is most desirable 

and that trees, landscaping and conservation are the most 

important tools for maintaining and developing a local character and 

identity. In terms of the built environment, the low density of 

development and the style of buildings are also considered to have 

a reasonable level of influence in the current character. Maintaining 

current densities will also contribute to the desired future character. 

Architectural heritage, character and style have not been identified 

as key community values, or as priority improvement areas. Given 

the developed nature, diversity of architectural style and community 

attitudes, a need has not been shown for introducing new measures 

or guidelines, that control the appearance of dwellings or seek to 

retain a special building character for the whole Local Area. Design 

guidelines for new estates are however effective in developing 

defined precincts with quality built form and are desirable within the 

Mirrabooka Regional Centre (Northwood Gardens/ Northwood 

Grove Estates) and for other new estates. Support and need has 

however been shown for measures that seek to improve the design 

efficiency of dwellings, in terms of producing a more sustainable 

built form. Sustainability is a key value to the community, with 

desire for bushland and tree conservation, less car use, and water 

and energy efficiency. The proposed introduction of the BASIX 

system in Western Australia to assess building development offers 

a much needed opportunity to improve the sustainability and 

efficiency of buildings, and should be supported by the City. 

Improvements to the built form character in Dianella can also be 

achieved by introducing a commercial colour palette for the locality, 

which designates colours and materials for local commercial 

centres that reflect a desired local character, for example green and 

natural themes in Dianella. The review of the Heritage List is also 

important in protecting local character by identifying if there are 

special buildings in the area that should be retained. 

Housing Need and Availability 

The Perth region as a whole is expecting continued population 

growth, due largely from international and interstate immigration. 

The Network City planning strategy states that the metropolitan 

population will grow to two million people by 2021 and aims for 60% 

of new dwellings (housing 300,000 people) to be built in the existing 

urban area. Stirling, being a largely established area, has limited 

capacity to accommodate additional population and is forecast to 

grow by 20,000 people by 2021 with 3,000 more people in Dianella. 

Population growth in Dianella is limited by the established nature, 

the current residential zonings and the trend of small family and 

household sizes. The population is increasing by approximately 200 

people per year and housing by approximately 100 dwellings per 

year. Given dwellings in the area contain an average of 2.2 people, 

if housing and population growth continue at the same rate then 

current and future housing needs can be met. Sufficient 

development potential is however needed to facilitate new housing. 

The last review of development potential in 2007 shows that based 

on current zonings, at least 35% of lots have the potential for an 

additional one to two dwellings. All of these sites will not need to be 

developed to capacity to meet population growth, and it is unlikely 

that they all will be by 2021 – this is a matter of owner preference 


68 


Additional Housing Capacity in the Local Area 2007 

and market demand. However there is sufficient housing capacity 

to meet both forecast population growth and to contribute to the 

City’s obligations for accommodating metropolitan growth. 

Despite the area’s availability to provide for the number of required 

dwellings to meet population growth, there is an issue with its ability 

to provide the type of dwellings required to meet population needs. 

Dianella is dominated by large single dwellings yet the population 

has a high proportion of small households, 63% of all houses are 

one or two person households yet only about 30% of dwellings are 

medium density style dwellings. Dianella does have more housing 

diversity when compared to many other low density Perth suburbs, 

yet smaller housing and more housing choice would better provide 

for first home buyers, small households, and the aging population; 

and housing diversity is a fundamental sustainability principle. 

= 1 extra dwelling = 2 additional = 3 additional 

Dianella is an attractive choice for homebuyers wanting to live in an 

established suburb close to the City and it has provided a more 

affordable option than Yokine, Inglewood and the inner city 

suburbs. However as the current surge in prices across Perth 

continues the area is becoming out of reach for many firsthomebuyers. 

Housing prices are also making smaller dwellings 

much more sought after (for affordability reasons). Research for the 

City’s Seniors Strategy has shown that the majority of seniors prefer 

to ‘age in place’ and stay in their own home. Current lot sizes and 

zonings provide a moderate level of opportunity for subdivision, so 

aging landowners can decrease the size of their property and 

potentially create retirement wealth, thus creating smaller lots for 

first home buyers and small households to take up. However, Perth 

market trends show that houses are generally getting bigger, 

despite decreasing lot and household sizes. 


69 


The Residential Design Codes include provisions to encourage 

housing diversity to meet the growing aged population and small 

households. This includes the development of ancillary dwellings on 

single house lots and reductions in the required lot size for aged 

persons or single bedroom dwellings. These provisions provide 

some flexibility within low density zonings and will likely become 

more commonly used as demand for smaller dwellings increases 

and developers seek to capitalise on limited land holdings. 

Proposed changes to the R-Codes will also encourage more 

housing specifically for over 55s. Until such time as the City’s Local 

Housing Strategy is adopted, the concessions and provisions of the 

R-Codes (supported by the City’s Planning Scheme) provide the 

greatest opportunity for increasing housing choice for Dianella’s 

growing seniors, single and couple households. Opportunities 

should also be explored for housing diversity within the Mirrabooka 

Regional Centre and Dianella District Centre, as these centres 

should provide for a variety of development aside from retail. 

Residential Density 

Council’s current position is that the City’s current range of densities 

and rate of development generally responds adequately to strategic 

imperatives, community need, community preference and state 

policies. The forthcoming Local Housing Strategy and the pilot 

Local Area Planning Project have been identified as the appropriate 

instruments for exploring if and where changes to density might be 

appropriate, by considering need, location, surrounding facilities, 

and community support. There is not strong demand or support 

within the Dianella community for increases in residential density 

zonings, whilst there is a moderate demand for decreases. This 

appears to be due to concerns over the loss of the area’s low 

density character and the negative impacts that urban infill has 

brought, such as poor housing design and loss of trees. Residents 

want to try and retain a natural rather than a built character, with 

housing balanced with backyards, trees and space. 

Whilst approximately 40% of residents would support lowering 

densities in the area, there does not appear to be an essential 

community demand, or strategic need, to warrant such action. The 

length of time current densities have been in place combined with 

the current development boom, has resulted in a considerable 

proportion of the area being developed to the maximum possible 

under the designated R-coding. Essentially, reducing densities will 

not change the development that has already happened and will not 

reinstate a lower density character. Proposing a rezoning to lower 

an R-Coding can in fact create a rush of development prior to the 

change, resulting in much more infill development then would 

naturally occur. The current densities codings are also essential for 

providing for forecast population growth, state government infill 

objectives, and in facilitating a degree of housing diversity. 

On the other hand, whilst approximately 60% of residents may 

support some changes in density in parts of the local area, there is 

only about 16% community demand for increases in densities - that 

being 16% of survey respondents support change and want 

increases both within their street and across the local area. There is 

certainly not enough community demand to warrant density 

increases purely based on community opinion. However other 

issues must also be taken into consideration in determination of the 

need and the opportunity to increase residential densities within the 

area. In terms of need, broad increases in densities are not needed 

to provide for population growth or urban consultation, as current 

densities will sufficiently fulfil Dianella’s metropolitan role for the 

coming 10-20 years. In any case encouraging a higher degree of 


70 


population growth, would require higher density coding (R60 or 

greater), which would not be in keeping with the community vision. 

With regard to responding to demographic trends, increased 

densities are not the most effective tool for facilitating housing 

choice for the aging population and single/small households. The 

R-Codes ‘Special Purpose Dwellings’ provisions are currently the 

best tool for encouraging such housing. The use of these measures 

is however largely dependent on market trends, which have been 

slow on the uptake of such possibilities. Increasing density zonings 

will likely discourage single and aged person dwellings as 

developers would be less in need of the ‘density bonus’ to develop 

land. There is strong potential for the City’s forthcoming District 

Planning Scheme and Local Housing Strategy to further support 

single bedroom and aged person dwelling development. 

In terms of strategic objectives, small areas of increased density 

would be desirable to allow more people access to community 

amenities, to meet sustainability objectives, and to support the 

larger commercial centres. Desirable locations include: 

– Mixed-use development with residential apartments within 

Mirrabooka Regional Centre, the Plaza Precinct and possibly 

the Industrial Precinct. 

– Along Alexander Drive directly opposite Dianella Plaza. 

– Directly south of the Mirrabooka Regional Centre. 

– R40 along the east side of Nollamara Avenue and Hancock 

Street to create matching densities on both side of the road. 

– Possibly in the Media Precinct (if redeveloped) - medium or 

high density if balanced with bushland conservation. 

Generally maintaining the current densities across the rest of the 

Dianella Local Area offers the greatest opportunity for facilitating the 

community vision and priorities of a green, leafy area by retaining 

private gardens, trees and landscaped streetscapes. 

5.6 Key Opportunities Map 

The map overleaf displays the key opportunities for the Dianella 

Local Area over the coming ten to fifteen years. The map brings 

together the community vision and priorities with the issues and 

opportunities explored over the last two chapters, to identify 

locations for improvements in the area. The key opportunities, with 

regard to specific locations within the locality include: 

• Ongoing improvements within Mirrabooka Regional Centre. 

• Improvement or redevelopment within the Industrial Precinct. 

• A community hub or more diversity of activity within the Plaza 

Precinct. 

• Bushland conservation and unique economic role within the 

Media Precinct. 

• Development of cycle lanes or dual use paths along major 

roads to connect people to commercial centres and major 

open spaces. 

• Development of Community Parks across the local area. 

• Increased street tree planting in the sparse St Andrews 

Precinct. 

• Possibilities to explore government and resident support for 

underground power in southern Dianella. 

The opportunities map displays only key location-specific 

opportunities and should be read in conjunction with the Local 

Area Strategy in Part 1 for full details of objectives and 

opportunities for the Dianella Local Area of the coming ten to 

fifteen years. 


71 


PART 3 

APPENDIX 

73

Dianella Community Centre 

Phone: 08 9440 8936 

18 Kerry St, Dianella WA 6059 

Description: Social Centre for Seniors. Bingo, 

Physio classes, Cards, Table Tennis, Art and 

Craft, Dancing, Podiatry, Hearing Centre 

Jim Satchell Recreation Centre 

Phone: 08 9440 8919 

Light St, Dianella WA 6059 

Web: www.stirling.wa.gov.au 

Dianella Public Library 

Phone: 08 9275 4022 Fax: 08 9275 4068 

Waverley St, Dianella WA 6059 

Web: www.stirling.wa.gov.au 

Rotary Club of Morley 

Phone: 08 9275 1154 

Dianella Hotel, Dianella WA 6059 

Mail: PO Box 44, Morley WA 6943 

Description: The advancement of international 

understanding, goodwill and peace 

Lions Club of Dianella Inc. 

Phone: Ph 9249 4042 

Church of Christ Community Centre, 

68 Waverley St, Dianella WA 6059 

Dianella Scouts, Cubs & Venturers 1st 

Phone: 0412 078 879 

Scout Hall, Light St, Dianella WA 6059 

Mail: PO Box 125, Mirrabooka WA 6061 

Guides WA 

Phone: 08 9249 9298 

Guide & Scout Hall, Light St, 

Dianella WA 6059 

Mail: 7 Nightingale Heights Ballajura 

Actors Workshop 

Phone: 08 9332 1056 

Lacrosse Clubrooms, Light St, Dianella 

Description: Lessons include acting technique, 

improvisation, speech, communication skills. 

LOCAL COMMUNITY 

ACTIVITIES TO GET 

INVOLVED IN. 

Over Fifties Club 

Phone: 08 9276 3469 

Jim Satchell Recreation Centre, Dianella 

Description: Social group for seniors wishing to 

play Badminton and enjoy social outings. 

Retirees WA Inc, Dianella/Yokine 

Phone: 08 9276 1524 

18 Kerry St, Dianella WA 6059 

Description: Activities for Seniors including 

guest speakers, bingo and entertainment. 

Art for Absolute Beginners 

Phone: 08 9276 6095/0429 643 721 

Classes held close to Dianella 

Prime Movers (Inc.) 

Phone: 08 9244 8057 

Jim Satchell Community Centre Dianella 

Mail: PO Box 1362, Booragoon WA 6954 

Description: Low impact exercise to music 

Dianella Probus Club (Inc.) 

Phone: 08 9276 3185 

Dianella Uniting Church Hall, 

450 The Strand, Dianella WA 6059 

Description: retired men meet to discuss 

topical issues and listen to guest speakers. 

Greek Macedonian Association Alexander 

The Great WA 

Phone: 08 9275 1298 Fax: 08 9375 8909 

Cnr Wordsworth Av & Homer St, 


Description: Barbecues, tennis court, hall for 

hire, soccer club 

Laguna Veneto Social & Bocce Club Inc 

Phone: 08 9367 3686 

49 Homer St, Dianella WA 6059 

Mail: 33 Ednah St, Como WA 6152 

Friends of Dianella Bushland 

Phone: 08 9344 2872 

Sudbury Community House, Mirrabooka 

Description: To keep remaining Dianella 

Bushland in its present state. 

74

The Linties Singing Group 

Phone: 08 9444 7874 

Jim Satchell Community Recreation Dianella 

Description: Singing Group. Non Profit 

organisation. 

Gladtones 

Phone: 08 9275 6564 

Mail: 11 Urawa St, Dianella WA 6059 

Description: Performing at Senior Citizens 

Clubs, Pensioner Groups and Nursing Homes. 

Kumon Study Centre - Dianella 

Phone: 08 9447 9155 

Jim Satchell Community Centre, Dianella 

Description: Kumon method of teaching - 

Mathematics, English, Japanese. 

Community Bridge Club 

Phone: 08 9276 4820 

Jim Satchell Community Recreation Centre 


Boomerang Sports Association 

Phone: 08 9276 6170 

Mail: 52 Cleveland St, Dianella WA 6059 

Description: Advice on designing, building and 

throwing boomerangs. 

Dianella White Eagles Soccer Club 

Phone: 08 9434 3800 

Dianella Reserve, Light St, Dianella WA 6059 

Mail: PO Box 1238, Mirrabooka WA 6941 

North Dianella Little Athletics Club 

Phone: 08 9272 1336 


Mail: 9 Boulton St, Dianella WA 6059 

Dianella Ladies Tennis Club 

Phone: 08 9375 9169 


Mail: 25 Wonga Rd, Morley WA 6062 

Table Tennis Club Inc 

Phone: 08 9298 8904 

Jim Satchell Community Centre, Dianella 

Mail: 1 Quarry Court, Glen Forrest WA 6071 

Dianella/Morley Amateur Football Club 

Phone: 0417 917 204 


Mail: 483 Morley Drive, Morley WA 6062 

Satellite Badminton Club 

Phone: Ph 9440 0670 

Jim Satchell Community Cnt, Dianella 

Dianella Cricket Club 

Phone: 0412 583 528 


Mail: 544 Walter Rd Bayswater WA 6053 

Dianella Junior Cricket Club 

Phone: 0402 345 439 

Dianella Reserve Light St, Dianella WA 6059 

Lacrosse West Inc. 

Phone: 08 9434 6369 


Mail: PO Box 1253, Morley WA 6943 

Mirrabooka District Swimming Club 

Phone: 08 9344 1935 (Home) 

Mirrabooka Senior High School Pool, 

Nollamara Av, Dianella WA 6059 

Basketball Coaching for Juniors 

Phone: 08 9271 9137 


Australian Tae Kwon Do Academy 

Phone: 0413 135 659 

Jim Satchell Community Cnt, Dianella 

Pakistani Badminton Club 

Phone: 0417 919 459 

Jim Satchell Community Recreation Centre, 


Barrakura Netball Club 

Phone: 0412 090 758 

Mirrabooka Seniors High School Nollamara Av, 


Sharon Biddle School of Dance 

Phone: 08 9371 6565 

8A Harold St, Dianella WA 6059 

Mail: 154 Sixth Av, Inglewood WA 6052 

Description: Teaches jazz, ballet, tap dancing, 

classical ballet, acrobatics and Spanish. 

75

STAKEHOLDER SWOT ANALYSIS 

ECONOMY 

Strengths 

vEstablished hierarchy of commercial centres 

vLow unemployment 

vLocal employment (retail centres, TV 

stations) 

vGood regional transport networks and 

connections 

vGood range of community services and 

facilities 

vHigh rate of home ownership and high 

property values 

vEstablished area with character, 

infrastructure, housing, population 

Weaknesses 

vStagnant economic opportunity and 

employment 

vSocial barriers to economic activity (age, 

language) 

vLack of diversity of employment 

opportunities (retail dominant) 

vLack of availability of land for potential 

business growth 

vPoor design of large retail centres 

vLack of night time economy 

vLack of reliable economic data 

vLimited transport options 

vAgeing housing stock and social 

infrastructure 

vLack of diversity in housing and built 

environment 

ENVIRONMENT 

Strengths 

vEstablished infrastructure 

vGood waste management and recycling 

vIncreasing environmental awareness in the 

community 

vDedicated bushland and remnant vegetation 

network 

vEstablished landscape image 

vRange and quality of natural and urban 

spaces 

vStability in the built environment 

vPotential for urban regeneration 

vCommunity consultation process 

vGood access to transport and community 

facilities 

vProximity to City Centre 

Weaknesses 

vAir and water quality 

vLack of environmental/sustainability strategy 

for Dianella 

vPoor Waste collection in parks 

vHigh waste generation 

vLack of paper recycling 

vStructure of road and parking network 

vQuality and impact of new and infill 

development 

vDiversity, distribution and access to public 

open space 

vLack of response to heritage 

vDependence on cars 

COMMUNITY 

Strengths 

vQuality accessible amenities (centres, 

shops, parks) 

vEducation is valued in the area 

(number/range of schools, two libraries and 

high levels of education) 

vSense of security and safety in the area 

vEasy to access various needs within the 

area (easy to travel to parks, work, shops) 

vLarge, established community 

vGreatest asset is the people and their 

diversity (cohesion of cultures, balance of 

demographics) 

Weaknesses 

vInsufficient services to meet the needs of the 

ageing community 

vLack of activities for youth 

vTransport choices 

vLimited housing choice 

vLack of employment 

vLack of childcare 

vAging facilities and housing 

vNo central heart 

vCommunication issues (connection to local 

government, coordination of service providers, 

language barriers) 

vPerceived crime and security issues 

vCommunity misunderstanding of local 

government roles 

76

ECONOMY 

Opportunities 

v Employment growth through increased 

home businesses 

v Providing more opportunities for and 

utilising the potential of the diverse 

population 

v Development of mixed use area at plaza or 

at industrial site 

v Encouraging business investment from 

outside the area 

v Exploring / realising the potential from the 

existing television stations in area (unique 

to Dianella) 

v Revitalisation of community and 

commercial centres 

v Cross-boundary facility sharing 

v Use of new technology 

Threats 

v Lack of availability of land for potential 

business growth 

v Lack of reliable economic data 

(businesses, employment) 

v Declining school enrolments 

v Road and transport limitations 

v Loss of social/population stability 

v Rising residential land values – loss of 

land use diversity 

v Loss of industrial land 

v Community expectations and demands 

v Competition from other more attractive 

commercial /residential areas. 

v Possible state/national economic 

downtown 

ENVIRONMENT 

Opportunities 

v Development of better recreation and 

community facilities 

v Improving transport, access and pathways 

v Revitalisation of centres and development 

of a community heart 

v Improving the built form, quality, range and 

function 

v Multi use intergenerational community 

facilities 

v Improving community safety and sense of 

security 

v Promote and develop alternative methods 

of transport 

v Management to enhance native 

envi ronmental values 

v Improve streetscapes 

v Develop environmental policies 

Threats 

v Increasing costs of public open space 

maintenance 

v Loss of reserves and individual trees 

through development pressures 

v Ground water levels and quality declining 

due to overuse 

v Misinformation/lack of information in the 

public domain 

v Unsustainable infill development 

v Increasing traffic and car use 

v Lack of support for environmental 

initiatives 

COMMUNITY 

Opportunities 

v Improving alternative transport 

v Celebrating cultural diversity and building 

local identity 

v Multi use / flexible community facilities 

(centres, parks, schools) 

v Improving entertainment and nightlife 

v Improving community participation and 

involvement 

v Making better use of existing facilities 

(good established environment) 

v Harnessing potential of aging population 

v Social Well being and community spirit 

(improving participation, services) 

v Strengthening community and cultural 

identity (history, diversity) 

Threats 

v Increasing demand on services and 

facilities 

v Decreasing health with aging 

v Social isolation due to declining household 

occupancy 

v Housing stock does not meet needs of 

community 

v Lack of opportunities for community 

interaction 

v Fear of crime 

v Tension arising from ethnic diversity 

v Reliance on cars – lack of options for 

aged, youth, low incomes 

v Boring image of area 

77

DIANELLA LOCAL AREA PLAN - City of Stirling

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