City of Melville administration building.
Camera IconCity of Melville administration building. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Council continues with plans to tighten rules over bonus heights for developers

Aaron CorlettMelville Gazette

MELVILLE council’s bid to tighten the regulations around which developments can get extra height for giving up land is gathering pace.

The council voted that for developments adjoining Canning Highway, only those giving up land fronting the highway would be eligible for bonuses.

The amendment passed last week also needs to be given the green light by the WA Planning Commission but the council also approved a Local Planning Policy (LPP) with the same intention, to let developers understand its direction.

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The council received 34 submissions when it advertised the amendment and LPP, with 21 of them supporting the changes.

Ceding of land for road widening has been identified as a potential community benefit developers can use to win permission to go above area height limits, but it has been a source of controversy.

Developers have sought acknowledgment of a community benefit and the inclusion of the land ceded for road-widening purposes to be used in site calculations in recent applications relating to sites not directly abutting the highway.

City of Melville legal advice in the past has supported that interpretation.

The issue reared its head during last year’s Metro Central Joint Development Assessment Panel decision over a proposed 17-storey building at the corner of Forbes Road and Kishorn Road.

There was debate about whether the 2023sq m development was compliant, as it ceded 125sq m of land and the M10 area it falls into required minimum 2000sq m lot sizes for a height bonus.

The development application was ultimately rejected, although ceding of land and lot size were not given as reasons.