The impact of future development in the Perth and Peel regions is the focus of the Green Growth Plan which has been released for public comment.
| Date: | Thursday, 17 December 2015 |
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The Perth and Peel regions are projected to grow to 3.5 million people by 2050 – an increase of almost 70 per cent on our current population.
Supporting this growth and delivering an efficient and liveable city while protecting our unique natural environment is a significant challenge.
The State Government has prepared the draft Perth and Peel Green Growth Plan for 3.5 million (Green Growth Plan) to meet this challenge.
In this context the draft Green Growth Plan delivers two critical outcomes:
- Cutting red tape by securing upfront Commonwealth environmental approvals and streamlining State environmental approvals for the development required to support growth to 3.5 million people; and
- Unprecedented protection of our bushland, rivers, wildlife and wetlands through implementation of a comprehensive plan to protect our environment.
The Department of Premier and Cabinet-led assessment was the largest undertaking of its kind in Australia.
The Department of Mines and Petroleum (DMP) has played an important role in identifying strategic basic raw materials within the regions.
DMP Director General Richard Sellers said that no other strategic assessment has considered the importance of basic raw materials.
“A dependable supply of basic raw materials is crucial for the development needed to support our communities in the future,” Mr Sellers said.
“This includes public infrastructure such as roads, railways, sports facilities, schools and hospitals.”
Historically, Perth has benefited from an abundant local supply of basic raw materials.
“However, as the city expands this supply is becoming increasingly constrained and susceptible to land use conflict,” Mr Sellers said.
“At the same time our existing sources are gradually being depleted.”
The draft Green Growth Plan aims to deliver long-term certainty for basic raw material supply in the Perth and Peel regions while protecting important environmental assets.
The Plan provides for greater certainty to proponents and the community around the environmental outcomes that will be delivered, the areas where development can be considered and the environmental obligations that will apply around avoidance, mitigation and conservation actions.
“Streamlined native vegetation clearing assessment will be available for many proposals,” Mr Sellers said.
The Green Growth Plan resolves some long-standing issues, such as limestone supply to the north of Perth, by optimising land use on a strategic scale.
This balances environmental considerations with the community’s needs for basic raw materials and will provide a planning framework for years to come.
The Department of Premier and Cabinet have produced a summary document which is now available.
Perth and Peel Green Growth Plan for 3.5 million
The State Government is seeking public comment on the draft Perth and Peel Green Growth Plan for 3.5 million suite of documents. The draft documents are available for public comment from 17 December 2015 to 8 April 2016.
Copies of the draft documents are available on the Department of the Premier and Cabinet website.
For more information on making a submission and all other enquiries, please contact greengrowthplan@dpc.wa.gov.au or (08) 6552 5151
