Synopsis
(The State Government has recently issued for public comment several future Planning proposals that from a community perspective are very controversial. This is one response).
The elaborate but obscure Plan documentation and the reasons for it have again directed knowledgeable and informed professional attention to the accumulated dysfunctional overall operation of the Planning management system in WA, further confirming that is not appropriate for a rapidly changing future.
This response comments on the current content and presentation of the Green Growth Plan in terms of suitability to seek public comment on what purports to be a very long-term plan that cannot be securely relevant in an era of unprecedented and accelerating social change. Then later proceeds (with a detailed functional review attachment) to explain various Planning System-related aspects that must first be given attention, concluding with suggesting component models to restructure the Planning System that could in due course facilitate attainment of the Commonwealth/ State objectives.
The Draft ‘Green Growth’ Plan refers primarily to the progressive loss of unique biodiversity in the Region and really only suggests how it might possibly be slowed in future, while at the same time substantially increasing the scale of development to almost double the population, but does not give attention to analysing the overall reasons for the loss.
This response paper objectively considers background reasons for that major (70%) loss of indigenous natural biodiversity in the Perth and Peel Region, internationally recognised as a unique asset. It demonstrates that the main cause has been ineffective control of urban development directly attributable over a long period to the traditional structure and management practices of the State Government run Land-use Planning system comprising the Planning Commission, its supporting Department of Planning and interaction with Local Authorities.