The Shire of Busselton will receive a $42,000 grant from the EnviroPlanning South West local government partnership program for the development of a local environmental planning strategy.
WAPC Chairman Jeremy Dawkins congratulated the Shire of Busselton on undertaking this initiative as a local environmental planning strategy will assist the Shire in planning for growth and development while maintaining the Shire’s spectacular and diverse natural environment.
"It will also will assist in addressing the planning implications associated with the protection of key environmental values," Mr Dawkins said.
"The grant will fund a review and analysis of existing environmental data from a planning perspective.
"The data will be cross-matched with future development areas and key environmental issues for each planning spatial unit will be identified.
"The exercise will enable the Shire to consider strategies and actions that will address environmental issues.
"The environmental data will then be transferred over to the proposed new local planning strategy, creating an integrated framework on which to base future planning initiatives," Mr Dawkins said.
The local government partnership program was set up to assist local governments in undertaking projects that improve the integration of natural resource management principles, actions and targets into the land use planning system.
EnviroPlanning South West, together with the statewide EnviroPlanning project, aims to develop new ways to make land use planning more responsive and effective as a tool for supporting natural resource management.
EnviroPlanning is sponsored by the Australian Government and funded through the Natural Heritage Trust. The project is a partnership between the Western Australian Local Government Association (WALGA), Department for Planning and Infrastructure and WAPC. EnviroPlanning South West is sponsored by the South West Catchments Council.
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Contact: Natasha Farrell 9264 7518 / 0408 955 604