Rarely A Dull Moment - The City’s Planning Framework & The Future

Jenny Archibald reports on the important deliberations of the City of Fremantle Planning Framework Committee and the proposed new local planning scheme

Welcome readers to our RADM report on the Planning Framework Committee Meeting of Monday 13 April 2026. While this is not a meeting where final decisions are made by the Committee, but issues are taken to the next appropriate Council meeting, it is the beginning of a significant journey for planning in our City. As a result, Fremantle Shipping News believes it well worth staying in tune with the Committee’s, as well as the Council’s deliberations as details unfold.

Our current Local Planning Scheme #4 is now over 19 years old! And it has had more than 80 amendments. Well and truly past its use-by-date given all the patches it’s had to keep it relevant. Under the WA State Government requirements today, a new scheme now is required to fit the Model Scheme Text.

The WA State Government Model Scheme Text (MST), contained in Schedule 1 of the Planning and Development (Local Planning Schemes) Regulations 2015, is the mandatory standard template for local planning schemes. It provides a consistent framework for zones, reserves, land use definitions, and development requirements across Western Australia, aiming to simplify the planning system.

On 20 January 2026, the WA Planning Commission resolved that the City of Fremantle required a new local scheme – and one that will fit the MST.

PFC2604-1 Local Planning Scheme No 5 Project Overview

To start this process, the first report before the Committee sets out the project overview for the new Local Planning Scheme No. 5 (LPS5) and recommends that a series of internal workshops be held to guide development of scheme provisions, with the aim to report back to the State Government in November this year. Workshops will include sessions on –

*Heritage protection in the West End,

*development plan areas including Leighton Beach and Knutsford precincts,

*City Centre zoning – including heights, density etc – prior to development of the area’s structure plan,

*O’Conner Industrial Zone,

*foreshore local planning policies (which will be really interesting in light of climate change and expected variations there)

*neighbourhood centres,

*heights and density in North Fremantle and others.

A complete scan of the whole city with some pretty challenging discussions to come!

And once this work is well underway, the staff has committed to commence its review of our local planning and other statutory instruments that will complement the scheme. These will be particularly significant as it is the one area where ‘local’ can really mean local and will hopefully influence decisions of the State Development assessment unit – the old “due regard” mechanism.

The Committee discussion of this item did chew this topic over for some time – as might be anticipated – and there were many complexities identified that will need to be considered. It finally resolved to progress as per the officers’ recommendation for the Local Planning Scheme #5 schedule, with the addition that the City “refine the workshops to take into account the input from the Committee and subsequent conversations”. One imagines we might see a good deal of public attendance at some of these workshops and Committee meetings in the future.

PFC2604-2 Freo Alternative Review 2026

Amendment 63 of our Local Planning Scheme was adopted in 2018 with the view to improve design and environmental outcomes with infill areas identified. It also had a sunset clause of 12 February 2027. Given the City has an infill target of 4,120 dwellings under the State Strategic Planning framework (Directions 2031 and Beyond: Perth and Peel @ 3.5 million) this was planned to encourage increased smaller housing without the need for widespread rezoning.

Despite hopes for this innovative project, there was limited uptake during the project period. In addition, with changes that have come about in the interim, the amendment may now be considered redundant within the scheme. The Committee recommended that the Council allow the Freo Alternative to lapse, and that work continue developing new mechanisms to promote housing innovation and opportunities in the new local planning scheme.

PFC2604-3 Mixed Use Areas Review

This is certainly going to be the beginning of a massive amount of work! In summary it will involve examination of the current performance of all Mixed Use areas within the City, assess their alignment with scheme objectives, consider whether their intended purposes remain appropriate, and identify options to better achieve desired outcomes. The scope of this review encompasses all Mixed Use zones established under LPS4.

The Mixed Use Review report in Attachment 1 of the agenda describes in detail the many areas that this work will cover. Given changes over the past 20 years or so, and the changes in where people now wish to live, this will be a significant discussion. Land uses that once may have been appropriate in a mixed use zone may be no longer. A recent case that comes to mind is that of the proposed car wash at the intersection of South Terrace and South Street, South Fremantle which, under current policies and scheme, was permitted. It was clear that the community there did not agree!

Because a good deal of our older city has traditionally had a number of mixed use areas, this is a study that will cover much of the municipality. Getting this balance right will be highly significant to the success or otherwise of our planning process and amenity going forward. The Committee supported the officers’ recommendation to Council – and this work will very much inform the drafting of the future planning scheme.

All up, a big discussion with a great deal more to come throughout this year.