- Updated Policy, Guidelines and Map of Bushfire Prone Areas released to better inform planning decisions for development within bushfire-prone areas
- More than 4,500 properties in existing urban areas are no longer identified as bushfire prone, resulting in streamlined approvals
- Policy and Guidelines developed following extensive consultation to become operational from 18 November
The State Government has today released the revised State Planning Policy 3.7 - Bushfire and the associated Planning for Bushfire Guidelines, which will become operational on 18 November 2024.
The new Policy, Guidelines and associated Map of Bushfire Prone Areas concludes the third and final stage of the 2019 Action Plan for Bushfire Framework Review and resolves implementation issues within the previous Policy framework to establish a more measured response about where and how the Policy applies.
Extensive consultation with industry and community stakeholders has resulted in an updated Policy and Guideline that represents a best-practice approach to planning in bushfire-prone areas that provides for:
- streamlined approvals within Area 1 (urban areas of Perth, Peel and Bunbury) of the Map of Bushfire Prone Areas to allow the practical application of bushfire requirements in an urban context;
- a more practical and flexible approach to development proposals with complex site and environmental characteristics;
- assessing the landscape beyond a development site - for strategic proposals outside of Area 1 - to help identify locations with an unacceptable level of bushfire risk; and
- an appropriate approach to consider different tourism land uses.
More information on planning and building requirements in bushfire prone areas is available at www.wa.gov.au/bushfire andhttp://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/building-and-energy.
The gazetted Map of Bushfire Prone Areas is available at www.dfes.wa.gov.au/hazard-information/bushfire/bushfire-prone-areas.
As stated by Planning Minister John Carey:
"The new bushfire Policy and Guidelines deliver on the Cook Government's commitment to ensure Western Australia is well-equipped to manage bushfire prone areas for now and into the future.
"In the past four years, we've considered extensive feedback from industry and the community to overcome previous inconsistencies around bushfire risk and make major improvements so that application of the Policy is more in line with the level of bushfire risk.
"This process has removed significant areas previously designated as bushfire prone within the new Area 1, resulting in over 4,500 properties no longer being subject to the requirements of the policy.
"We now have a flexible, pragmatic and comprehensive Policy that prioritises bushfire requirements early in the planning process and establishes a much more measured and practical response to development within bushfire prone areas."
As stated by Acting Emergency Services Minister Don Punch:
"Climate change is an ongoing risk to the frequency and severity of bushfires in our State.
"It is critical we have the right tools and technology to map bushfire risk as accurately as possible.
"This revised Policy and Guidelines join the Map of Bushfire Prone Areas to expand the effectiveness of the Bushfire Framework for the State.
"The ongoing refinement of the Map greatly boosts decision making around managing bushfire risk across WA - including in built-up urban areas.
"It means we can be more practical and consistent in the way we apply bushfire building standards to help keep our communities safe."
