Special Control Areas can now be set up in Perth after changes were quietly ushered in by State Government

The State Government will now be able to take the lead on planning issues in the metropolitan area after it quietly ushered in reforms to declare Special Control Areas within Perth. Key councils were on Tuesday in the dark about the changes, telling The West Australian that SPAs were only a feature of the Greater Bunbury and Peel Region schemes. But The West has confirmed that legislative changes last week mean these areas can now be set up anywhere within the Metropolitan Region Scheme, which runs between Yanchep and Singleton. The move is likely to anger some councils, who will lose some planning control. But the Property Council welcomed it. “Research conducted by the Property Council last year found that key locations around transport nodes lacked a clear precinct vision and strong planning frameworks to unleash development in those areas,” executive director Nicola Brischetto said. “Beefing up Special Control Areas and District Structure Plans will allow the WA Planning Commission to lead the planning process in those areas and give those precincts the best chance of getting projects and locations moving.” Planning Minister John Carey said the focus of the amendment was on housing supply. “As part of the Cook Labor Government’s continued efforts to cut red tape through nation-leading planning reforms, as Planning Minister, last week I introduced a Bill into State Parliament to modernise the Metropolitan Region Scheme, to further bolster housing supply,” Mr Carey said. “Changes in the MRS Bill respond to industry and local government feedback on the scheme’s limitations and will simplify the development approval processes by removing unnecessary red tape and double handling of assessments. “Special Control Areas are already a feature of the Greater Bunbury and Peel Region Schemes and this Bill updates the MRS, ensuring it is contemporary and fit for purpose. “A Special Control Area allows for extra development controls or development conditions to be imposed over certain areas within a regional scheme boundary of zones or reserves, and across more than one local government district. “This Bill will also provide the WAPC with a clearer avenue to prepare District Structure Plans, which confirms the intent outlined in the 2019 Action Plan for Planning Reform. “District Structure Plans enable refinement of zoning, co-ordination of land uses and infrastructure, at a district level, and provide the strategic direction for detailed local planning to be undertaken.” District Structure Plans usually encompass bigger areas of land with State or regional interests. The Special Control Area in Bunbury was set up around the service corridor for the port, and as buffers around wastewater treatment plants.