Shire of Augusta-Margaret River planners defend consultation during draft planning scheme review

Shire planners have defended their consultation process amid furore around the region’s new planning scheme, revealing they have received “hundreds” of submissions.

Responding to criticisms from agricultural landowners published online this week, Shire of Augusta-Margaret River planning and regulatory services manager Matt Cuthbert said consultation around the draft Local Planning Scheme 2 was “extensive and well-utilised by the community”.

“This has included place-based workshops, meetings with interest groups, one-on-one meetings with landowners, site visits, and communications via all available means on a wide variety of topics,” he said.

“The feedback on the process has for the most part been positive and has resulted in the shire receiving hundreds of submissions.”

Mr Cuthbert said all submissions would be provided to council once the new scheme was initiated and all residents making submissions would be informed prior to that meeting “so that the process for dealing with submissions remains transparent”.

The public feedback period on the draft scheme was extended twice after conservation and farming representatives as well as key community groups voiced concern at changes, particularly zoning classifications which the shire said were mostly imposed by the WA Planning Commission as part of a Statewide streamlined approach.

Those concerns led to Witchcliffe Community Association president Todd Giles earlier this year urging all ratepayers to scrutinise the draft scheme closely to avoid future mishaps.

However, critics remained unconvinced some of the changes to rural and conservation zones wouldn’t open the door to prescriptive legislation affecting farmers’ rights.

Witchcliffe farmer Erin Hutton questioned proposed changes to the scheme affecting waterways and mapped environmental assets and said the shire’s community consultation policy diverged from the guidelines of the Local Government Act 1995.

“How can the local government better address the agricultural community dissatisfaction with the shire’s community consultation process in line with the interests of farming electors, farming ratepayers and farming residents?” Ms Hutton asked.

Scott River Station owner Julie Bullet also cited concerns around how farmland could be affected by planning changes, with her land included in the Southern Ocean Foreshore Protection Zone at the behest of the State Government.

Planners said the draft scheme would allow the confusion around the ocean foreshore zoning to be resolved after considering the owners’ submission.

“Staff have committed to giving this submission close consideration,” Mr Cuthbert said.

“Council will ultimately decide what zoning to apply to the land in terms of making a recommendation to the WAPC and Minister for Planning who will make the final decision.”

The shire also said concerns around environmental encroachments on farmland estuaries did not consider the “substantial flexibility” of the policy.

The Times understands LPS2 would go before elected members before the end of this financial year.