Changes to the State Planning Policy for building in bushfire zones offer good news for thousands of home owners in Perth, Peel and parts of Bunbury.
About 4,500 properties in these urban areas will no longer be identified as bushfire prone. This will significantly streamline building approvals, saving owners time and money.
Initial changes to planning laws announced in 2015 saw large areas of Perth's inner and coastal suburbs declared bushfire prone. Properties were considered bushfire prone if they were within 100m of 1ha or more of bushland.
Property owners in these areas who wanted to build a new home or renovate an existing one were required to get an independent assessment done to determine their property's vulnerability to fire.
The owner then had to meet certain building standards, depending on the level of risk.
The revisions have changed this.
Urban areas of Perth, Peel and parts of Bunbury have now been designated as Area 1 (urban). Properties in Area 1 will no longer require a bushfire assessment. These areas are considered as presenting a lower risk to life, property and infrastructure due to their urban location.
The remainder of the state is classified as Area 2. Owners will have to undertake a bushfire assessment in relation to their property's location – being either at a lower risk of landscape scale bushfires or having a higher potential for large destructive bushfires – and proceed as required.
The changes were announced on 24 September and will come into effect on 18 November 2024.
You can check to see which area your property is in here.
