The Western Australian Government has consolidated six state policies into one to provide an updated and streamlined planning system for water management.
The new policy has been released in the draft State Planning Policy 2.9 Planning for Water (SPP 2.9) and Guidelines.
The new planning system replaces an outdated water planning framework, and is expected to deliver greater clarity and guidance around integrating the management of water resources into planning and development decision-making.
The policy advocates for early consideration of all water-related matters in the planning process to protect water resources and water dependent ecosystems; and ensure the necessary drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure is in place to support future development.
Western Australia Minister for Transport, Planning and Ports, Rita Saffioti, said, “With Western Australia’s water resources subject to increasing pressure from climate change, we must ensure water management is integrated with our planning system.
“Early consideration of water in planning provides a good opportunity to address issues upfront and explore sustainable options that accommodate our growing population and are programmed to support long-term urban development delivery timeframes.
“This draft State planning policy and associated guidelines propose a contemporary approach to streamline an outdated policy framework.”
The planning policy will help government agencies, regulators and industry to better respond to the anticipated impacts from population growth and climate change, as well as economic and land use changes.
The draft policy is open for public comment, closing on November 15 2021, with the finalised policy expected to be gazetted early next year.
For more information and to have your say, visit https://consultation.dplh.wa.gov.au.
