FAQ

The Canning Highway #ShapeOurPlace project is an ongoing series of studies to understand the area and plan for the future. The purpose of the Canning Highway #ShapeOurPlace project is to articulate a desirable future character for Canning Highway and adjacent areas, reflecting an appropriate scale and intensity for the strategic context of the place.

The project is about understanding the existing character and appearance of the buildings within the study area and discovering what sort of development the community would like to see in the future. Generally, the properties along Canning Highway can be developed to greater intensities (more height and more dwellings) and therefore it is important to manage the transition from the highway into the residential streets behind.

The project includes community engagement to inform urban design analysis and preparation of planning controls. The project takes into consideration future plans to widen Canning Highway and recent decisions made by Council regarding properties in the study area. 

Key steps involved in the project include:

1.  Understanding the existing built form of the area (what type of housing is there and what it looks like). Stage one of the project focused on this and was completed in March 2016.

2.  Discovering what sort of development is possible and what the community would like to see in the future in specific areas; along the highway, adjacent to the highway and in the suburban streets. Stage two of the project is focusing on the area between Berwick St and Douglas Av and includes a detailed assessment of the character of Kensington and South Perth either side of Canning Highway. Once the Character Study is complete the City will draft changes to the Town Planning Scheme to manage future development.

3. Consultation will be undertaken to refine and finalise any changes to the City’s planning scheme, before Council makes a recommendation to the Minister for Planning.

4.  Future stages of the project will focus on other parts of the study area and provide recommendations for the City to address issues and make changes to the planning scheme to achieve desirable built form in the future.

The outputs from stage two are:

• Kensington/South Perth Character Study Report – Part A (character study findings for public comment)
• Kensington/South Perth Character Study Report – Part B (report on comments received and recommended planning controls)
• Draft planning policy and amendment to the City’s Town Planning Scheme, for public consultation.

In 2012 the City of South Perth prepared a Draft Local Housing Strategy. The Strategy identified that there are challenges for the City between managing high density development along Canning Highway and the adjacent low density residential areas. The Strategy recommended that the City investigate medium density coding for all residential zoned lots within 100 metres of Canning Highway and Manning Road.

This project is the next phase of planning for the Canning Highway area and will be more detailed than the Local Housing Strategy. The project will be conducted in stages and will identify where challenges exist for the City and recommend where medium density coding may be appropriate.

The purpose of the project is NOT to increase density throughout the study area. Many properties within the study area will remain at their current zoning and density code.

Some properties adjacent to Canning Highway are likely to experience change in the future either through redevelopment or widening of the highway itself. However many properties within the study area will remain at their current zoning and density code.

The project will not revisit previous decisions made by Council in preparing the draft Local Housing Strategy in 2012.

No. Being within the study area does not necessarily mean that changes will be proposed to your street or property. However, due to the proximity to Canning Highway, you may be influenced by changes proposed as part of this project. It is therefore important that you be informed and given the opportunity to participate in shaping the future planning controls for the area.

Built form refers to the appearance of the building. This may include elements such as the type of development (is it a single house, townhouse, unit, apartment etc.), building height, bulk and scale, street presentation and design articulation.

‘Height’ means how tall the building is.

‘Bulk and scale’ means how big/bulky the development is, particularly in relation to the street.

‘Street presentation’ means how the development looks from the street and may include elements such as landscaping, front fences, position of garages/car ports, roof form, windows etc.

‘Design articulation’ means the design treatments that break up the building such as using different materials, balconies, changing levels, changing setbacks (distances from the lot boundary).

Different design can lead to different built form outcomes, even within areas with the same density codes. The purpose of this project is to prepare planning controls to guide the built form of future development.

There are three main types of housing: 

• single house;
• grouped dwelling; and
• multiple dwelling.

Within each of these three types of dwellings, the built form (appearance) of the building can vary by changing certain elements of the building.

These types of housing are defined in State Planning Policy 3.1 – Residential Design Codes of Western Australia (R Codes). 

There are long term plans from Main Roads WA to widen Canning Highway. The widening will accommodate:

• Two lanes of traffic in each direction;
• A transit/bicycle lane in each direction;
• Wider verges for pedestrians, shared use and utilities/services;
• A median strip.

The process of acquiring land for the widening will take a number of years; however it can already be seen on parts of the highway where there are large grassed verges and where the buildings are significantly set back from the highway.

Whilst there is no set timeframe for the widening, it is expected to happen over the next 20 years. However will be largely dependent on State Government funding and the priority of the widening compared to other parts of the Perth road network.

The area likely to be affected by road widening can be viewed on the City of South Perth Town Planning Scheme No. 6. The road reserve (the space set aside for the road) is shown as the ‘Metropolitan Region Scheme Reserve – Primary Regional Road’ along Canning Highway in the Town Planning Scheme.

In general, maximum building height limits are recommended to decrease away from the highway to provide a transition into the suburban areas. Increases to the maximum building height limit are recommended in some areas close to the highway.

It was recognised during stage one of the project that there are a number of areas, particularly in Kensington, where there is a desire from the community to protect the character of the area. Character is being assessed as part of stage two of the project and may be a part of future stages as well.