Planning Minister Rita Saffioti today released a new planning policy and guidelines on developing activity centres – the building blocks of every community – for public comment.
Activity centres are vibrant, consolidated community hubs providing retail, commercial and entertainment opportunities where people live, work and recreate.
State Planning Policy 4.2 Activity Centres provides guidance on delivering a mix of residential, economic and lifestyle uses when planning and developing major centres, ensuring they are integrated with public transport and delivered consistently across Western Australia.
The draft policy and implementation guidelines follow a review to update the current 10-year-old policy and include:
- simplifying and streamlining content to reflect maturity of the policy;
- guidance on retail planning and sustainability assessment;
- alignment with the Design WA policy suite; and
- expanding the geographic scope outside Perth and Peel to Bunbury.
The draft policy is part of the State Government’s planning reform agenda to create a more contemporary planning system and assist the State’s economic recovery from COVID-19.
Public consultation on the draft policy and guidelines closes on February 12, 2021. To view the policy or make a submission, visit
As stated by Planning Minister Rita Saffioti:
“Activity centres are the building blocks of every community – they are the places where we live, work, shop, dine and have fun. They can be built around public transport nodes or shopping and retail centres.
“The new proposed policy seeks to achieve a mix of activities that create vibrant communities – diverse housing options, supported by local commercial and retail businesses and quality public transport links.
“These are all the elements we seek to bring to our METRONET precincts as our world-class public transport system continues to take shape.
“This new policy is part of our planning reform agenda to elevate strategic planning, streamline and clarify processes and procedures and ensure Western Australia has a contemporary and flexible planning system, supporting quality projects and creating local jobs.”
