A submission has been made to the West Australian Planning Commission (WAPC) by the Shire of Murray on planning framework documents recently advertised for public comment that foreshadows a visionary alternate growth plan for the South Metropolitan and Peel sub region.
At a recent Council meeting Shire of Murray councillors endorsed the Shire’s formal position on the WAPC ‘Perth and Peel @ 3.5m’ report and the South Metropolitan and Peel Sub-regional Planning Framework suite of documents.
The Shire of Murray engaged the services of Mackay Urban Design, Syme Marmion and Jacobs Transport Consultants to assist with the review of the plans.
“The consultants provided specialist urban design, economic and transport advice to assist the Shire provide a constructive critique of the WAPC growth plans and help formulate solutions and improvements to achieve best practice development outcomes to manage the future population growth,” Shire chief Dean Unsworth said.
“A supplementary report was prepared as a combined response for lodgement with the WAPC.”
Consultation was undertaken with representatives from City of Mandurah, City of Rockingham, Shire of Waroona, Peel Development Commission and Department of Agriculture and Food.
Shire of Murray representatives also attended briefing sessions organised by Western Australian Local Government Association (WALGA), Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA); Planning Institute of Australia (PIA), Department of Planning and the Peel Harvey Catchment Council.
According to the report, Peel Local Government stakeholders feel that the South Metropolitan and Peel Sub Regional Planning Framework documents lack sufficient detail and evidence to support many of the spatial proposals.
“There is a clear disconnect between the principles hoping to be achieved by WAPC and what is actually shown on the various spatial plans,” Mr Unsworth said.
“More specific key principles and aspirations need to be devised at the Sub Regional Structure Plan level to achieve an urban structure of identifiable places with their own character and identity, which for Murray respects our rural character and lifestyle.
“This is one of the key outcomes and strategies that the Shire has identified in its Murray 2025 Strategic Community Plan based on feedback received from the recent community survey.”
Another concern raised by the Shire of Murray relates to the release of the WAPC Framework Plans ahead of the Strategic Environmental Assessment program being coordinated by Department of Premier and Cabinet.
“An understanding of how the two processes can be better integrated needs to be reached so that the final revised Sub-Regional Structure Plans consider the environmental sensitivity of the area and the amount of land which may be required for conservation protection,” Mr Unsworth said.
“The plans also need to provide more clarity on how conservation actions for the Peel Harvey Estuary and other significant waterways should be addressed through land use planning mechanisms.”
The submission highlights that the South West Metropolitan and Peel Sub Region would be of a similar size as the Gold Coast in Queensland by around 2050.
It further stipulates that although the function and form of this sub region may differ from the Gold Coast, the area will be in the top ten of Australia’s largest cities and would therefore warrant a similar level of investment of infrastructure provision.
The submission agrees with the Peel Development Commission’s Peel Regional Investment Blueprint Vision 2050, which identifies peri-urban agriculture, industry development and tourism as underpinning future economic growth in the Peel region.
The submission therefore encourages making Mandurah and Rockingham effective employment anchors and activity centres, and encourages Pinjarra as the Shire of Murray’s main centre.
These initiatives will go a long toward ensuring a high level of local employment opportunities in the region as it grows.
The submission further suggests that an appropriate extent to urban growth should be determined by walkability to public transit, given public transport’s importance in creating more sustainable cities.
A legible and direct public transport network has been identified consisting of a light rail service along Pinjarra Road connecting Mandurah with Pinjarra.
This network would be fed by a series of local direct bus routes that interchange with the light rail service.
The extent of the urban growth in the Mandurah/Murray areas is then defined by a corridor 800m either side of the public transit routes.
In the region a rail network incorporating rail, light rail and rapid bus stops could be developed providing access to all major centres in the region.
Transfer points would be provided between the different transit modes and services.
The network would also incorporate the existing Perth to Mandurah railway, a railway between Pinjarra and Perth via Armadale and with the potential for the siting of a second metropolitan airport being located in Peel on the Pinjarra to Perth eastern railway, a rapid bus limited stop service could link to the Mandurah railway at Paganoni rail station.
A comprehensive bicycle network plan would also need to be developed.
An alternative urban structure suggested for consideration in the report requires Pinjarra Road to be reconfigured from a high-speed rural road to an urban activity corridor with a 70kph speed limit and lower 50kph speed limits through the several urban centres along its length.
The road would need to be widened to provide priority for the light rail and for the increased local traffic travelling between Mandurah and Pinjarra.
The sub-region would consist of a Warnbro Sound Avenue activity corridor, the Mandurah centre, a Pinjarra Road activity corridor with Furnisdale/Barragup area developed to link Mandurah to Pinjarra, the Pinjarra centre, and bus corridors in Ravenswood.
"The outcome of this approach would be a reduced level of per-capita car driving and an increased proportion of travel by walking, cycling and public transport,” Mr Unsworth said.
To achieve a self-sufficient sub-region the report also recommends expanding the eastern inland townships along the South Western Highway of Byford, Mundijong, Serpentine, Keysbrook and North Dandalup to support the provision of essential local services and provide additional patronage of the rail service.
The Pinjarra town site would be expanded to the west and northeast to reinforce Pinjarra’s role as a secondary regional activity centre and a strategic agricultural area would be established in the rural hinterland to foster the next generation of agricultural research and production and enhance food security for the Perth and Peel regions.
“The Shire’s alternate spatial concept plan makes provision for a more consolidated urban form, building upon existing developed centres with stronger public transport linkages and more distinct places that have improved access to a green network of river foreshore trails and pedestrian/cycle systems connecting Pinjarra to Mandurah,” My Unsworth said.
"It is considered imperative that Local Government be invited to play a more active and collaborative role in the refinement of the ‘Perth and Peel @ 3.5m’ report and the South Metropolitan and Peel Sub-regional Planning Framework suite of documents prior to a final sub-regional Structure Plan being endorsed by the WAPC.”
An alliance grouping of councils has been established comprising City of Rockingham, City of Mandurah, and Shires of Murray and Waroona to commence dialogue with the WAPC and Department of Planning in seeking refinement of the Government plans.
It is considered that this will achieve optimal outcomes for the benefit of current and future community members.
To view the Shire's submission vgo to murray.wa.gov.au
