City of Melville council requests local planning policy looks at community benefits in Canning Bridge Activity Centre Plan

THE City of Melville appears to be addressing concerns over the community benefits provision in the Canning Bridge Activity Centre Plan (CBACP).

The council voted last Tuesday to instruct chief executive Marten Tieleman to bring a draft local planning policy to its March 2019 meeting, which would look at the relationship between the design of developments and whether they warranted extra heights.

Concern about the community benefits provision was raised at a July Metro Central Joint Development Assessment Panel meeting, with some members deeming it too subjective.

Applecross resident Mike Burns spoke at Tuesday’s council meeting, citing community concern about the CBACP and the community benefits provision while asking the council to be proactive about changes to the plan.

Mr Tieleman said the purpose of a local planning policy was to support the urban planning decision-making process and documents such as local planning schemes, structure plans and activity centre plans.

“A local planning policy would elaborate on the requirements of the CBACP in relation to community benefit provisions and provide additional guidance and clarity on how the provision of community benefits is to be translated into bonus floor space or building height,” he said.

“Specifically, the local planning policy will look at ways to measure whether or not the intended outcomes of the CBACP have been met through the provision of certain community benefits and will assist in guiding the assessment of additional floor space that might be warranted.”

Mr Tieleman said if the City decided to proceed following the March 2019 meeting, the proposed policy would be advertised for public comment and results considered by the council.

The council made a decision in April for the chief executive to investigate limiting the maximum number storeys in the M10 and M15 areas.

“Results of the investigations were presented at an elected members information session (EMIS) held on June 12 and discussed at a workshop on July 16. As a result of council’s November 2018 resolution, a further EMIS will be held to report on the scope of potential further investigations,” Mr Tieleman said.