Directions Paper - Western Australian Planning Commission

Directions Paper on the Integration of NRM and Land Use PlanningIn addition to the preparation of more detailedguidance on the preparation of local planningstrategies, an education and awarenesscampaign on the role and significance of localplanning strategies is recommended. Thisshould apply to local governments, governmentagencies and consultants undertaking thepreparation of local planning strategies onbehalf of local governments and include acomponent on how NRM matters are consideredin the strategy preparation.State planning policiesWithin the State Planning Framework, StatePlanning Policies arguably provide the greatestdirection on matters that should be consideredand addressed within Local Planning Strategiesand Schemes. Local Planning Strategies providethe opportunity to interpret these State policiesin the local context and incorporate strategiesand actions designed to implement thesepolicies at the local level. Strategies and actionsoutlined in the local planning strategy can thenbe translated into statutory provisions under thelocal planning scheme.As discussed in Section 5.1.3 above, LocalGovernment, through the regional forums heldacross the State, expressed some criticism ofthe state policy framework, as it was considereddifficult to apply the broad principles andobjectives of many of the policies to thelocal level. The policies were said to provideinsufficient guidance for their implementationparticularly in regard to regional variations.In addition, due to the large number of stateplanning policies, the duplication of issueswithin the policies, and the complexity of theframework resulted in difficulty in balancingcompeting needs (eg environmental, economicand social needs).The current ‘Guidance for the preparationof Local Planning Strategies’ does not crossreference State Planning Policies in respectto issues required to be addressed by LocalPlanning Strategies, however this would providea useful ‘one stop shop’ for Local Governmentswhen preparing a local planning strategy.EPA Guidance Statement No. 33Outside of the guidance provide by the WesternAustralian Planning Commission, further adviceon the environmental matters of relevance tobroad scale planning (regional planning, localplanning strategies and schemes) has beenprovided by the Environmental ProtectionAuthority through it’s Guidance Statement No.33 – Environmental Guidance for Planning andDevelopment, May 2008. Section A 1.4.1 of thedocument provides a suggested nine (9) stepframework to ensure environmental issues areappropriately considered at the broad scaleplanning stage.The framework is based around;• identifying all environmental factors,relevant policy and legislation,• identifying environmental objectives,priorities and targets,• considering the impacts of future land usechanges, and• identifying appropriate planningmechanisms to achieve environmentalobjectives.The 9 step framework is supported by theremainder of the guidance document whichprovides detailed issue based guidance.As discussed in Section 3.4.1, EPA GuidanceStatement No. 33 provides a useful repository ofinformation for land use planners, however dueto its comprehensive nature it can be difficult toascertain what the key issues are that need tobe addressed within the local planning strategy.Through early consultation with the DEC,DoW and the EPA, key NRM issues relevantto particular locations can be identified, afterwhich the Guidance Statement can be used todetermine how these issues can be consideredand addressed in the planning process.43