About the Policy

The City of Cockburn is proposing a new Local Planning Policy 5.22 (LPP 5.22) and invites submissions from the community. This policy aims to provide clear guidance for sustainable planning that protects and enhances the environmental values of natural aread during the scheme amendment, subdivision, and development process.

The draft policy can be viewed in the document library.

Background

Council Policy - Environmental Conservation (Policy) was first adopted by Council on 10 June 2021.

The objective of the Policy is to guide sustainable planning outcomes for the protection and enhancement of environmental values on private land. It applies to the City’s assessment of scheme amendment, structure plan, subdivision, and development applications.

The Policy serves as a complement to the adopted Natural Area Management Strategy, which seeks to protect and enhance environmental values in the public domain.

It applies across all private land and zonings in the City of Cockburn, and it details the City’s approach to assessing planning applications that are subject to Clauses 4.14 (Protection of Native Flora), 4.15 (Protection of Native Fauna) and 4.16 (Protection of Wetlands) of the City of Cockburn - Town Planning Scheme No. 3.

It also aligns to the recently adopted Local Planning Strategy, which has specific objectives for the retention of native vegetation and ecological linkages.

The Policy has since been amended to better protect and enhance natural areas and other environmental values through the planning process.

The amended Policy was presented to the Sustainability and Environmental Reference Group (SERG) at its meeting on 28 November 2024. At the meeting, the SERG noted its support for the Policy and provided several recommendations in its formal feedback. Most of these recommendations have been addressed and included into the draft policy.

The review proposes several updates to the Policy. These updates seek to modernise the Policy and align it with the current planning framework.

The amendments also seek to convert the Policy into a Local Planning Policy. Doing this will give the Policy greater weight in the planning process and require the City to consider the Policy in its assessment of applications.

Furthermore, The Planning and Development (Local Planning Schemes) Regulations outline that Local Planning Policies are given ‘due regard’ in planning decisions, whereas Council Policies are not afforded the same status.

In addition, the revised policy has amended several provisions to further protect native flora and fauna. It has also added provisions to ensure that applicants quantify the environmental impact of proposed developments.

Other amendments include:

• Updates to strengthen environmental protection for applications subject to the requirements of State Planning Policy 2.7 – Planning in Bushfire Prone Areas;
• Updating the information requirements for applicants seeking approval to undertake earthworks at development sites containing trees. This is particularly relevant to larger residential subdivisions.

Overall, the proposed changes will assist the City in achieving the objectives for canopy cover and biodiversity conservation, as prescribed by the Natural Area Management Strategy and the Urban Forest Plan.

What will happen next

Following the public advertising period, City Officers will review the submissions and considerations, which may lead to amendments to the draft Local Planning Policy 5.22. The draft policy will then be considered by the City’s Governance Committee, and a report will be presented to Council for adoption.