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Public Presentation and Special Council Meeting Announced
The Shire of Augusta Margaret River has announced that community members who made submissions on draft Local Planning Scheme 2 (LPS) will have the opportunity to present their ideas directly to Council at a public presentation session, prior to the document being tabled to Council at a Special Council Meeting in November.
The LPS2 will serve as the new ‘rulebook’ for land use in all areas of our Shire and will guide development to manage growth in line with local priorities, as outlined in the Local Planning Strategy.
Shire CEO, Andrea Selvey said given the significance of the LPS2 in shaping the future of our Shire, it was important to provide an opportunity for the community to learn about the outcome of the consultation process.
“The objective of the LPS2 is to create a set of rules which protects the character of our towns and safeguards our environment, while aligning with the future needs of our community including our local farmers,” said Ms Selvey.
“We’re always committed to giving our community an opportunity to be involved in decision making, which is why we will be holding a public presentation session on Wednesday 13 November. Anyone can attend the meeting and submitters can present directly to Council about what’s important to them.”
Ms Selvey said Council will vote on the new scheme a week later at a dedicated meeting.
“Rather than consider the LPS2 during a regular Council meeting, which has multiple agenda items, Council will hold a special meeting to ensure the LPS2 receives the focused attention it deserves,” she said.
The scheme review process followed the endorsement of the Local Planning Strategy in 2022 which was developed in consultation with our community. The legislated process included sending an initial draft to the WA Planning Commission (WAPC) for review. The WAPC directed the Shire to make several changes to the initial LPS2 document before it could be advertised for public consultation, which happened in late 2023.
Ms Selvey said feedback gained from the community and discussions with a wide range of community groups had been used to inform the latest draft of the LPS2.
“Our rigorous consultation process included public meetings, stakeholder meetings and multiple drop-in sessions. We also received over 800 submissions from community members which our staff have thoroughly reviewed to inform the final LPS2 draft.”
Shire officers are recommending that Council adopt around 100 changes to the draft document which includes returning land in Gracetown currently earmarked for development to a park and recreation zone, and ensuring all agricultural land in the Shire retains its status as Priority Agriculture.
Additional controls around future development in Gnarabup have also been included however Ms Selvey pointed out the review of the planning scheme is independent to the Gnarabup Resort application which is currently subject to a review by the State’s Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).
“There was some confusion circulating during our consultation process, so we need to be clear – any decisions about the LPS2 are completely separate to the proposed Gnarabup Resort development application.”
“The final decision about the Gnarabup resort is out of the Shire’s hands. The WAPC will make the final decision after they have considered the environmental impact report by the EPA.”
Ms Selvey said the process for amending the planning scheme was long and extensive, however Shire staff were dedicated to delivering the best outcome for everyone in our community, now and into the future.
“As residents of the community themselves, our staff want to ensure the new local planning scheme aligns with our community’s future needs and protects all the things that make our Shire a great place to live.”
The public LPS2 presentation and briefing will be held on Wednesday 13 November from 3pm to 6pm and submitters have been contacted directly about how to register.
The Special Council Meeting will be held on 20 November from 3pm to 5pm. If the proposed recommendations are approved by council, the LPS2 will then go to the WAPC for further review and sign-off by the Minister for Planning.