Directions Paper - Western Australian Planning Commission

Directions Paper on the Integration of NRM and Land Use PlanningHistoric development focusLand use planning is a process for coordinatingland use and development. Historically thefocus of land use planning within WA has beendevelopment, with success of planning oftenmeasured according to land release measuressuch as number of residential lots created.In some circumstances this has resulted in ageneral lack of monitoring and evaluation toensure NRM outcomes sought were achieved.This is often related to a lack of resources andexpertise within decision making bodies. It isimportant to examine whether or not desiredNRM outcomes were achieved through thedesign process, ensure conditions related toNRM outcomes were successfully implementedand on-going management is secured, andundertake compliance monitoring. Resources toundertake this work are often limited, particularlywithin local government.In addition to the above limitations, there arefurther barriers to the integration of NRM andland use planning including institutional barriers,a lack of resources and a lack of communicationand coordination between key NRM andplanning organisation. These barriers are furtherexplored within Chapter 4 of this report.12