FAQs

In 2019, the City developed a Master Plan for the Town Centre to guide the future vision and development. Since developing this Master Plan, new rules have been created by the State Government that require the City to create something called a Precinct Structure Plan for major centres, such as Kwinana. 

A Precinct Structure Plan is a document that provides the rules and guidelines for planning and designing an area. The Precinct Structure Plan is written to align with the structure and requirements of State Planning Policy 7.2 – Precinct Design.  Following these requirements will mean that the Precinct Plan will go into more detail and provide more guidance than the 2019 Master Plan.

A precinct is an area that requires high level of planning and design focus due to their complexity. This complexity may be due to the mix of uses, the transport network, higher density development, character, heritage and/or environment.  

The Kwinana Town Centre is known as an ‘Activity Centre’ which are areas of activities such as commercial, retail, food and hospitality, higher-density housing, entertainment, tourism, civic/community, education and medical services. 

This mix of uses, the potential for higher density development and type and design of future development, warrants more detailed planning in the form a Precinct Structure Plan. 

A Precinct Structure Plan is made up of two parts. 

• Part 1 provides the rules that guide subdivision of land (how many lots can be created) and development (what can be built, what is looks like, how the building is used). 
• Part 2 provides the background information and evidence to support the rules set out in Part 1. 

Part 2 of the Precinct Structure Plan examines six different elements:

1. Urban Ecology – This relates to the natural environment of an area and how it may influence how the area may change or be developed (e.g. what is the land shaped like, are there any heritage or cultural sites etc). 
2. Urban Structure – This relates to the layout of an area (e.g. which way are the properties facing, what is the pattern of the street blocks etc)
3. Public Realm – This relates to the public spaces such as parks, piazzas, town squares, but also the streets where people move and interact. 
4. Movement – This relates to how people move around an area using all modes of transport (e.g. walking, cycling, public transport and cars.)
5. Land Use – This relates to how land is used and what activity occurs there (e.g. residential, shops, community purpose, office etc.) 
6. Built Form – This relates to how the buildings are designed (e.g. how tall they are, how far back they are from the street, how much of the site can be built on etc.) 

The Precinct Structure Plan is used differently by different people and organisations.

• Landowners and developers – to understand the planning rules that apply to their property (ie. what they can build on their land)
• City of Kwinana – to assess development applications that are submitted to the City. The City also use it to provide advice to the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage on subdivision applications. 
• City of Kwinana and the community – to inform future project works (e.g. streetscape upgrades) or to advocate for changes in the precinct.
• Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage (State Government) – to assess subdivision applications that are submitted to the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage. The Department also use it to assess development applications are going through the Joint Development Assessment Panel (JDAP) or State Development Assessment Unit (SDAU) approval pathway. 
• Service providers/engineers – to help prioritise any service infrastructure upgrades that might be needed. 

If you have a property located in the Kwinana Town Centre Precinct Structure Plan area, the planning and land use rules of the Precinct Structure Plan will apply to your property. The rules have not been developed yet; therefore, the impact is unknown. We encourage you to participate in this consultation to help shape the rules. 

Once the Precinct Structure Plan is adopted, you may notice changes in the area including new development, taller and bigger buildings and different activities. The exact changes won’t be known until the Precinct Structure Plan has been prepared and adopted. 

You are not obliged to develop your property if you do not want. The Precinct Structure Plan cannot force you or anyone else to develop, it simply provides the framework to follow if you do want to develop. 

There are several opportunities or challenges for the site being considered as part of this project, including: 

• Small residential population living in the City Centre, with limited businesses operating at night – Opportunity to encourage greater diversity land uses and medium-high density residential within the City Centre
• Lack of activation of the main street with businesses turning their backs to Chisham Ave - Further develop Chisham Ave as the main street, encouraging developments to front the street with opportunities for alfresco dining.
• Improve pedestrian connectivity, legibility and amenity within the City Centre.
• Upgrades have been made to the public realm in front of the Darius Wells Library – Opportunities exist to reinforce this space as the heart of the City Centre
• Better connect the civic functions to the north with the retail functions to the south
• Investigate opportunities to better integrate public transport into the City Centre, providing safe and convenient access.
• The Kwinana Marketplace shopping centre is inward-facing and separated from the rest of the City Centre by car parking. This limits pedestrian connections and amenity through the precinct.

By engaging with the community, the City and its project team will be able to better understand these opportunities and challenges, any others that exist and consider strategies to address them. 

The cost to develop the Kwinana Town Centre is currently unknown.

Individual landowners will be able to develop their land in line with the rules and requirements set out in the Precinct Structure Plan. Landowners will be responsible for paying for this. 

The City of Kwinana will be responsible for managing City owned land and streets/roads under their management. This may include things such as streetscape upgrades (e.g. tree planting) and new community facilities if required. Upgrades or works for City of Kwinana infrastructure and services will be funded through Council budget allocations and/or by seeking external grants or funding through avenues such as State and Federal Government. The cost of these items are unknown and would require detailed investigation. 

There are several steps involved to prepare a Precinct Structure Plan (refer to the timeline below). 

The Precinct Structure Plan is being prepare by the City of Kwinana, however, requires final approval by the Western Australian Planning Commission. 

To enable the Precinct Structure Plan to be used, a change to the City’s Local Planning Scheme is also required. This process will happen alongside the preparation of the Precinct Structure Plan. A change to the scheme requires approval by the Western Australian Planning Commission and Minister for Planning. 

The project (Precinct Structure Plan and Scheme Amendment) will take approximately 18 months to complete, however this may change. 

The Kwinana Town Centre provides services and amenities for the local community, therefore community input is essential to ensuring the Precinct Structure Plan meets the needs and aspirations of the people who live, work and visit the centre. 

There will be three key opportunities to provide input into the plan throughout the project. 

1. Provide feedback on the findings of the Project Team’s site and context analysis and share ideas for the Town Centre (October - November 2023)
2. Provide feedback on the draft Concept Design for the Town Centre (early 2024).
3. Review and make a submission on the draft Precinct Structure Plan (late 2024)

The first two opportunities provide the greatest level of influence over the final outcomes; so please get involved to guide the development of the Precinct Structure Plan!