Scheme Overview

Local governments are to review their local planning schemes every 5 years. Last year, the City reviewed the current Local Planning Scheme No. 4 and determined that it was no longer fit for purpose as it was over 19 years old and, despite a number of amendments, was outdated, no longer fit for purpose, and inconsistent with state regulations, which have changed significantly. In early 2026, the Western Australian Planning Commission endorsed the fact that a new scheme is needed.

City officers are now in the process of drafting a new local planning scheme. This early fact-finding engagement gives staff a chance to hear from the community on what they value in the City, and what they think should be covered in the draft scheme.

This work is the beginning of what could take two years or more.

The City is aiming to present a new draft scheme to Council for initiation before the end of 2026. Once initiated, it is then referred to the Environmental Protection Authority and the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage (DPLH) for review. Once the DPLH is satisfied, they make a recommendation to the Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC) for formal permission to advertise. The WAPC then makes a recommendation to the Minister for Planning, who determines whether the scheme can be advertised with or without amendments.

What is the Local Planning Scheme?

A local planning scheme sets out development controls throughout the City, such as:

• zoning of land (whether land is residential, mixed use, industrial, etc.)
  
• land use (whether a particular zone can have a shop, office, etc.)
• built form (height, setbacks, landscaping, etc.)
• coding of land (density)

The Local Planning Scheme is to be guided by the Local Planning Strategy, which was approved by the Western Australian Planning Commission this year.

For more information, please see the FAQs.

How can the community influence the project?

The City has carried out a number of consultations including stakeholder and Councilor workshops, and community consultation.

Formal community consultation on the draft scheme will only begin once the Minister for Planning endorses the scheme for advertising. Subscribe to this page to receive updates.

City Officers aim to:

• Keep you informed, listen to and acknowledge concerns and provide feedback on how public input influenced the decision.
• Work with you to ensure that your concerns and aspirations are put forward to Council and provide feedback on how public input influenced the decision.

How can you discuss this proposal and your feedback with City Officers?

• Call us: The Strategic Planning Team can be reached on 1300 MYFREO (1300 693 736) during normal business hours.
• Email: planning@fremantle.wa.gov.au
• 1:1 Meeting: Would you like to meet 1:1 with City Officers to get clarification on the proposal? You can request a meeting by emailing planning@fremantle.wa.gov.au. Please note, we'll aim to meet all requests subject to staff availability.