Directions Paper - Western Australian Planning Commission

Directions Paper on the Integration of NRM and Land Use Planning4 The main playersThere are a number of different agencies andorganisations responsible for NRM withinWestern Australia. This chapter provides anoverview of the role of each of these agencies,how their role interfaces with land useplanning and specific programs that are beingundertaken that may be of relevance. Furtherinformation on the role of the agencies as itrelates to the different stages of the planningprocess can be found within Chapter 5.4.1 Department forPlanning andInfrastructure/WesternAustralian PlanningCommissionAs mentioned in section 3.2.2, both the WAPCand the DPI have important roles in relation toland use planning decision making. The WAPCdetermines subdivision applications, administersregional planning schemes, endorses localplanning strategies, and advises the Minister onmatters such as local planning schemes andamendments. The DPI provides professional andtechnical expertise and administrative servicesto the WAPC. The DPI also has delegatedauthority to determine subdivision anddevelopment applications, where these complywith State policy.The integration of NRM into land use planningis largely governed by the State PlanningFramework and the support that the DPI andthe WAPC provide for implementation of theframework. The specific policies of relevanceto NRM are not detailed in this section ratherdiscussion on these can be found in section5.1. The WAPC, through a number of itssubcommittees, and the DPI, through itsorganisational structure, provide some capacityto address NRM matters through implementationof the State Planning Framework.4.1.1 WAPC committeesThe WAPC has a number of committees thatadvise it on matters relevant to the integration ofNRM into land use planning, including the;• Environment and Natural ResourcesManagement Committee - advises theWAPC on ways in which statutory orstrategic land use planning can assist inachieving sustainable management of theenvironment and natural resources.• Sustainability Committee - establishedas an outcome of the State SustainabilityStrategy to advise the WAPC on theintegration of sustainability into theplanning system.• Coastal Planning and CoordinationCouncil - provides high-level strategicand integrated advice to the WAPC on thesustainable and coordinated planning andmanagement of the Western Australiancoast.Environment and Natural ResourceManagement CommitteeThe Environment and Natural ResourcesCommittee, as evidenced by its terms ofreference, has an important role in facilitating theintegration of NRM into land use planning. Thecommittee undertakes the following activities:• Drafts policy and other appropriatedocuments for land use planning relevantto the sustainable management and useof the environment and natural resources;• Presents to the Commission thecoordinated views of stakeholders relatingto land uses affecting the managementand use of natural resources, in order tofacilitate an optimal planning outcome;• Reviews the capacity of existing strategicand statutory planning mechanisms andprocesses of the Commission to deal withnatural resource issues and advise onsuggested amendments;13