Statement of Planning Policy No. 2.1 - The Peel-Harvey Coastal Plain Catchment.

This policy is required to recognize the requirements of the Minister for the Environment in consultation with the Minister for Planning, and to ensure that land use changes within the Peel-Harvey Estuarine System likely to cause environmental damage to the estuary are brought under planning control and prevented. A major purpose of the policy is to ensure that landowners seek development approval prior to committing their investments; however it is not the purpose of the policy to require a new series of approvals for existing developments.
The objectives of this policy are: improve the social, economic, ecological, aesthetic, and recreational potential of the Peel-Harvey Coastal Plain Catchment; ensure that changes to land use within the Catchment to the Peel-Harvey Estuarine system are controlled so as to avoid and minimise environmental damage; balance environmental protection with the economic viability of the primary sector; increase high water-using vegetation cover within the Peel-Harvey Coastal Plain Catchment; reflect the environmental objectives in the Draft Environmental Protection Policy (Peel-Harvey Estuarine System) 1992; prevent land uses likely to result in excessive nutrient export into the drainage system. This Policy applies to all residential, commercial, industrial, rural and recreation land uses, and public sector undertakings within that portion of the Catchment of the Peel-Harvey Estuarine System that lies on the Swan Coastal Plain of Western Australia and as defined generally on the attached plan.
Specific Policy Provisions concern: Residential and Special Residential zones with lot size up to 4000m2 and tourist development; Rural residential lots over 4000m2; Recreational facilities (including golf courses, ovals and large grassed areas); Commercial developments; Industrial development; Intensive agriculture. It is the Policy of the State Planning Commission that all town planning schemes operating within the Peel-Harvey Coastal Plain Catchment shall require development to be subject to the provisions of this Policy.