It is clear that the rate of demographic change and development in the Shire of Busselton and in the region will not diminish in the short term and that many of the Shire's policies and strategies will require review or replacement in order to remain valid and useful.

One of the Shire's roles is to formulate and review planning statute and policy to provide for more sustainable development outcomes and reflect the Shire's Strategic Plan. This requires analysis of community needs and the formulation of strategy, policy and town planning scheme outcomes that guide land use and the form of development over strategic time frames (5-50 years). It requires a balance between retention of the character and lifestyle values of the Shire and management of the high rate of demographic change.

This is a significant initiative involving formulation of a 'Local Planning Strategy' leading to a new Town Planning Scheme over a 3-5 year time frame.

Achievement of this will require an increased focus on strategy preparation and the Scheme review during this period. For the development industry this means that, while applications for rezoning and development guide plans etc will be processed within statutory time frames, they will not be given priority over strategic planning tasks. 

Scheme amendments more appropriately dealt with by the review are also likely to be deferred to be addressed in this process.

In the interim the Shire is reviewing and updating the Scheme text to ensure that it reflects current practice. This review is designed to achieve increased efficiency, clarity and effectiveness in the operation of the Scheme.

The Local Planning Strategy will involve the formulation of a number of strategies and policy outcomes that will inform the Scheme review. These will include strategies relating to settlement and housing, transport, commerce, tourism, environment and rural land use.

It should be noted that the Shire has experienced one of the highest ongoing rates of population growth in regional Australia - almost 5% average annual growth since 1981. In conjunction with increasing complexity in the planning process this requires a high priority to be placed on strategic planning if the Shire's decision-making is to be consistent with community needs and expectations.

Once the Local Planning Strategy has been formulated, the Scheme provisions and associated land use (zoning) outcomes can be confidently addressed with a view to ensuring appropriate economic, environmental and socio-cultural outcomes for residents of, and visitors to, the Shire.

At each stage of the review the public and other stakeholders will be provided with the opportunity to contribute to the formulation of strategies and Scheme outcomes via an extensive community consultation process.

For a summary list of all relevant documentation please click here.

June, 2006