The status of coastal planning in WA

Dr Garry Middle1

1Western Australian Planning Commission , Perth, Australia

Abstract

In 2005, the responsibility for coastal policy and planning in WA has given to the peak planning agency, the Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC), with the support of the now Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage (DPLH). The key coastal planning policy is State Planning Policy (SPP) 2.6, which received a significant upgrade to address climate change in 2013. SPP 2.6 requires local governments to carry out coastal hazard risk management and adaptation planning – or CHRMAP – and funds are provided by both the WAPC, through DPLH , and the Department of Transport to fund CHRMAP work and implementation of approved management measures. A significant number of coastal local government are now in the process of doing CHRMAPs, and some important issues are beginning to emerge as a result of this work. This presentation will provide an update of WA coastal policy and planning, and a discussion of the implementation issues that are emerging and options being explored to address these issues.

Biography

Dr Garry Middle is an adjunct senior research fellow at Curtin University, and an independent member of the board of the Western Australian Planning Commission as an expert in coastal and environmental planning.