Why is it important to make a submission?
Learn from History!
Our shire has been trying to initiate a new District Town Planning Scheme for over 16 years. In all this time we have relied on schemes that are well out of date and not coping with the growth of development.
In late 2004 a Draft Scheme went out for public submission and over 900 submissions were received. It included a Local Planning Strategy (LPS), which is required to plan for future development. This Plan, approved by Western Australian Planning Council (WAPC) and the Minister provided for sufficient residential land in Margaret River for the next 15 years.
Council did not meet to consider submissions until Feb 2006 and included late submissions made up until Jan 06 rather than the closing date of Feb 2005. At that meeting it made considerable changes to Draft Scheme and LPS that were unsupported by the submission process.
In August 2006 the South West Planning Committee of the WAPC considered the changed draft scheme and raised concern over the changes and asked Department of Planning and Infrastructure (DPI) officers to liaise with Shire planners. They warned the Council that the changes they made were confusing and "ambiguous, contradictory and inappropriate". Concerns included conflict with the Leeuwin-Naturaliste State Planning Policy (LNSPP), 30 year time frame, creation of additional residential and development zones which had not been supported by the submission process
In Nov 2006 Council wrote to DPI and WAPC stating it wanted to make changes to the Draft LPS and incorporate future Strategies, Concept Plans. This started the process of the Margaret River Concept Plan, a 30 year plan objected to by over 90% of submissions on the grounds that it was an unrealistically long planning period, used population projections well above those of the official government projections and would cause an enormous sprawling of the townsite.
In Dec 2006 consultants were appointed to carry out the Margaret River Townsite Strategy ( and Augusta Townsite Strategy) to provide detailed planning on future land use in the townsite. The cost was approximately $180,000 of which a grant of $90,000 was provided by South West Development Commission. Despite the public opinion expressed in the recent Concept Plan, the consultants continued to use both the official population projections and the shire's inflated figures. A wasted submission opportunity!
In Dec 2007 WAPC South West Regional Planning Committee meeting again considered the latest version of the local planning scheme and local planning strategy and commented to the Shire on the significant issues and errors that still exist.
What Now?
The Margaret River Townsite Strategy will be used to provide justification for large expansion of future residential development for the townsite and if approved will become part of the Local Planning Strategy which is a required part of our District Town Planning Scheme.
Will it be acceptable to the WAPC if it still includes large residential expansion not in line with official figures?
Will it further delay the adoption of an up to date District Planning Scheme?
It is now over 3 years since that Scheme went out to advertising and not one submission asked for this massive expansion of the townsite.
Make your submission now.
How are the shire's projections explained?
According to the Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC), the estimated population growth rate for the Shire is 2.3% per annum; significantly lower than the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River Draft Local Planning Strategy's adopted growth rate of 4.5% per annum. The shire's projection rate has not been totally explained but it would appear to partially rely on averaging out expansion rates over the last 15 years without taking into account the slowing of expansion in recent years.
Some Relevant Comment from the Report.
In the 2001-2006 period the growth, both in terms of the annual growth rate and the average increase in population, slowed compared with previous periods. This slowing of growth is consistent with observations on the drivers of population
There is no evidence of explosive growth from any of these elements, and this would to point to a continuation of the lower growth rates of recent years
The Report simplifies the options for us in its text by giving us just 2 scenarios, the Low Scenario and the High Scenario to reflect whether you think population expansion should be based on the official state projections or our shire projections
Scenario 1: LOW DEMAND
The Report says of this that it
Must be regarded as a highly likely scenario.
1,300 new dwellings needed. These could all be contained within existing zoned land.
Scenario 2: HIGH DEMAND
There are no comments from consultants to say this scenario is likely just that it is
Consistent with the assumptions in the Shire Local Planning Strategy. There are a number of factors which may serve to increase growth rates again.
The Report then provides an (P 36 3.4)
ANALYSIS
* Uncertain Timeframe * Wide variation in demand predictions * High level of second/holiday houses * Competition development Witchcliffe Cowaramup * None of land identified favoured above rest but some outside LNSPP * Gives warning that this means that if one site were to be rezoned, there would be little to stop others being similarly rezoned without additional adopted measures in place to control development timing and quality * It is strongly possible that some or all of them will remain less than fully developed for some time, possibly well into the future. A danger is that land will be allowed to develop on multiple fronts with incomplete development on some, or all of them in the long term. As at 2006 there was capacity in undeveloped land for residential development (mostly East Margaret River) and infill sites in the town for an additional 3,400 - 3,570 people.
It the provides us with (P37 3.4)
CONCLUSIONS
* Time of unusual uncertainty and there is a wide variation in estimates in the ultimate size of the town and in the timing of its growth. Estimates between 7000 and 13000. It is recommended that planning be in place for a town of approx 10,000 with provision to expand this further, either through more land release or more intensive development on existing zoned land if the need arises in the future. * There is capacity on land already zoned for development, including inner area infill and existing residential zonings to house a population of 7,800 -8000 * It is paramount that the future expansion of the Margaret River Townsite is undertaken in a staged and strategically "linked' manner in order to prevent the all too common ad-hoc form of development that tends to encroach on the periphery of existing towns and centres. The implementation of a staging process that guides future townsite expansion within Margaret River will help ensure that a unique and desired form of development ie Hamlet Neighbourhoods are achieved in a sustainable and responsive manner.
Please act today so we can control the growth of our town.