Planning

Cities and towns can be designed and built to minimise environmental harm and maximise social well-being. New residential developments must be environmentally sound, and facilitate public transport and community interaction and cohesion.

The ecological impact of development in Western Australia must be reduced and planning should minimise urban sprawl. Appropriate planning would help to mitigate climate change effects and support adaptation to extreme weather events. In particular, the cultural, economic and social needs of First Nations people must be addressed.

Aims

The Greens (WA) want:

  • people friendly developments that are beautiful to live in, work in and move through and which support ecologically sustainable practices at all levels (see also The Greens (WA) Housing policy)
  • Western Australian cities and towns resourced to deliver community services and community governance at the local level
  • equitable economic and social outcomes to build sustainable rural and regional communities (see also The Greens (WA) Regions policy)
  • a planning system that integrates decisions about transport, housing, energy and the environment to create sustainable and liveable cities
  • our homes, businesses and community facilities to be run on renewable energy (see also The Greens (WA) Energy policy)
  • compact urban and village developments serviced by networks of affordable and safe public transport, cycle ways and foot paths (see also The Greens (WA) Transport policy)
  • the protection of vulnerable biodiversity hotspots and recreational values of the coastline through planning decisions driven by climate science and independent environmental impact assessment processes
  • community-driven planning that encourages mixed-use medium and high density use along transport corridors and in areas of high amenity
  • third part appeal rights in relation to all planning decisions

Measures

The Greens (WA) will initiate and support legislation and actions to:

Governance

  • formally recognise that First Nations people are the traditional custodians of the lands and waters of Western Australia (see also the Greens (WA) First Nations Peoples policy)
  • facilitate educational, deliberative, community-wide planning processes to guide the transition toward sustainable communities
  • involve all local authorities in undertaking Cities for Climate Protection and New Waterways programs for ecologically sustainable development (see the Greens (WA) Local Government policy)
  • limit urban sprawl through progressive infill and redevelopment of existing urban developments
  • intensify existing activity nodes and corridors and create new medium and high density clusters around transport and service hubs
  • foster the development of climate change adaptation strategies by local communities (see also The Greens (WA) Climate Change and Energy policies)
  • promote state-wide decentralisation to encourage revival of rural and regional communities and relieve growth pressures on the Perth metropolitan area (see also The Greens (WA) Regions policy)
  • increase the accountability and transparency of all State Government advisory, planning, decision-making and implementation agencies
  • implement a Residential Transport Planning Initiative to create pedestrian and cycle friendly neighbourhoods, build a light-rail network, and co-ordinate car pooling and car sharing schemes to relieve congestion
  • implement a Freight Transport Planning Initiative to move freight transport away from road use and towards rail and shipping

Planning

  • plan compact urban and village developments serviced by networks of affordable and safe public transport, cycle ways and footpaths
  • involve the community in planning decisions at local and state level
  • require planning decision makers to remain accountable in respect of their planning decisions
  • ensure that any planning appeals process, including appeals by third parties, remains accessible and affordable
  • incorporate accessibility and universal design principles into all public spaces, multi-use buildings and social housing construction

Environment

  • ensure that the highest standards of environmentally sensitive design are applied in the construction or retro-fitting of buildings and urban infrastructure
  • ensure that planning decisions take into account the effect of the changing coastal environment on built infrastructure, and the impact of built infrastructure on the coastal environment (see also The Greens (WA) Marine & Coastal policy)
  • increase minimum requirements for energy and water use efficiency in new buildings, and provide incentives to exceed NABERS1 minimum requirements
  • implement an energy efficiency access and savings initiative (EASI), whereby 10% of existing buildings are retrofitted each year to meet the same minimum requirements for energy and water use efficiency that apply to new buildings by providing incentives and subsidies for those measures with a payback period of less than 10 years (see also The Greens (WA) Housing policy)
  • make it compulsory to grade houses for energy and water efficiency, safety and access before sale or lease, and supply this information to the buyer
  • end our dependence on fossil fuels by creating zero-emissions 'renewable settlements'
  • mandate water and energy sensitive urban design principles in subdivision planning (see also The Greens (WA) Water and Energy policies)
  • protect and restore urban biodiversity by establishing an urban growth boundary, ending urban bushland clearing, and protecting  metropolitan waterways (see also The Greens (WA) Urban Bushland policy)
  • transform the 'Tidy Towns' competition into a 'Sustainability Challenge', based on the 2020 Youth summit proposal

Society

  • increase the diversity of housing types and the supply of affordable housing, using a range of measures to eliminate housing-related poverty
  • create walkable, accessible, child-friendly developments supporting healthier lifestyles
  • implement Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles to ensure that public spaces are designed to maximise community safety, reduce crime and reduce the perception of crime that inhibits social interaction and community cohesion (see also The Greens (WA) Justice policy)
  • support a range of incentives to artistic, educational and innovation industries to nurture the community's creative capacities (see also The Greens (WA) Arts & Culture policy)
  • remove barriers to participation in the life of the community for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (see also The Greens (WA) Cultural Diversity Policy)
  • establish essential services hubs at transport nodes, prioritising areas of lower socio-economic development (see also The Greens (WA) Transport policy)

Economy

  • plan for the diversification of the metropolitan economy as the resources boom winds down (see also The Greens (WA) Economics policy)
  • support local manufacturing, services and employment opportunities to encourage the localisation of, and dispersal of, jobs through mixed-use urban planning principles and economic incentives
  • increase the proportion of food grown locally through a mix of labelling, land use planning and support for farmers markets and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)2 (see also The Greens (WA) Food policy)
  • encourage zero-waste settlements, including local recycling facilities (see also The Greens (WA) Beyond Waste policy)
  • increase access to affordable home broadband internet access, especially in low income areas
  • encourage the development of localised renewable energy industries to enable future growth and minimise transitional impacts
  • compile a performance indicator for each city, town, and region that includes measures of economic, environmental and social sustainability, and report updates and comparisons

(See also the Australian Greens Planning and Transport policy)

Glossary

1. NABERS (National Australian Built Environment Rating System) is a national rating system that measures the environmental performance of Australian buildings, tenancies and homes. https://www.nabers.gov.au/about/what-nabers

2. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a model of food production and distribution that directly connects farmers and eaters - people buy shares in a farm's projected harvest in advance and for a set period and receive regular deliveries.

Planning policy ratified by The Greens (WA) in 2020