Woodbridge Conservation Precincts Local Planning Policy Review

What's happening

The City of Swan is reviewing the Woodbridge Conservation Precincts Local Planning Policy in 2026 to ensure it is current, effective and aligned with the Planning and Development (Local Planning Schemes) Regulations 2015.

Specialist heritage consultants Urbis have been engaged to work with the City and prepare a fully updated Local Planning Policy consistent with draft Local Planning Scheme No. 18 and relevant State heritage guidelines

As part of this review, the City invites landowners within the Woodbridge Conservation Precinct to share feedback and local knowledge about the function of the current policy.

Your feedback will be considered by the City and Urbis and will help inform the draft updated Local Planning Policy, which will be presented to Council at a future Ordinary Council Meeting.

To help provide context for your feedback, please see the Local Planning Policy POL‑C‑111: Woodbridge Conservation Precincts

How to share your feedback

Online: Complete the survey on this webpage and suggest changes or improvements to the current policy.

Direct email: Email your feedback directly to the City's Local Area Planning and Policy team at localareaplanning@swan.wa.gov.au.

In person: Attend one of the two community drop-in sessions to hear a short presentation about the project, ask questions, and discuss the Local Planning Policy. Details about the drop-in sessions can be found on this webpage.

Share your feedback before Saturday, June 20, 2026.

Project background

The current Local Planning Policy POL‑C‑111: Woodbridge Conservation Precincts was adopted in 2006. Since then, the Heritage Council of Western Australia (HCWA) has updated its Guidelines for Preparing a Local Planning Policy for Local Heritage and Guidelines for Heritage Areas (March 2023).

These updated guidelines now shape the City’s responsibilities. They require the City to prepare a separate Local Planning Policy for each heritage area identified in the Local Planning Scheme, in line with clause 9(2) of Schedule 2 of the Planning and Development (Local Planning Schemes) Regulations 2015.

For more information on Guidelines for Heritage Areas and LPP, visit the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage website

The review process

The City has engaged specialist heritage consultants, Urbis, to assist with the review. Urbis will prepare a fully updated Local Planning Policy that aligns with the Planning and Development (Local Planning Schemes) Regulations 2015, draft Local Planning Scheme No. 18, and relevant State heritage guidelines.

The purpose of consulting with you is to:

Notify you of the current review process

Provide the existing Local Planning Policy – Woodbridge Conservation Precincts

Request your feedback on how well the current policy is working

Invite you to attend one of two community drop‑in sessions.

Your feedback and local knowledge about the function of the current policy will help the City and Urbis prepare the updated Local Planning Policy for Council’s consideration.

After the review process

Once consultation has ended, feedback will be considered and a draft policy will be prepared. The final decisions on the updated policy will be made by Council at a future Ordinary Council Meeting.

Review the current Local Planning Policy POL‑C‑111: Woodbridge Conservation Precincts adopted in 2006.

Review here

Contact us

Have questions or want to learn more about the project, contact us below:

Contact Information
Name	Local Area Planning and Policy
Phone	(08) 9267 9266
Email	Localareaplanning@swan.wa.gov.au

FAQs

Heritage is made up of the buildings, places and stories we’ve inherited from past generations and choose to protect. It helps tell the story of Western Australia and our local communities, shaping identity, culture and a sense of place.

Heritage is not limited to buildings, It can include:

Structures

Landscapes

Parks and gardens

Archaeological sites.

We call these ‘heritage places’.

The Planning and Development (Local Planning Schemes) Regulations 2015 include what are known as the “deemed provisions”. These provisions state that a heritage area may be designated where, in the opinion of the local government, special planning controls are needed to conserve and enhance the cultural heritage significance and character of an area.

Under the local planning scheme, a separate local planning policy (LPP) is required for each designated heritage area. The specific requirements for these policies are set out in clause 9(2) of Schedule 2 of the deemed provisions.

Heritage areas have a specified geographic area with distinctive qualities and are generally uncommon within a local area. They are typically larger than individual heritage places and include a group of buildings or features that share a cohesive physical form and an identifiable aesthetic, historic or social theme linked to one or more periods of development.

Local planning policies for heritage areas guide how development proposals affecting heritage places or heritage areas are assessed.

The Woodbridge Conservation Precinct and its Local Planning Policy were prepared and adopted in 2006, establishing the precinct as a heritage area. The policy is intended to protect places and precincts with heritage and character value by:

Setting out design controls

Establishing clear expectations around demolition

Allowing flexibility in applying State Planning Policy 7.3 – Residential Design Codes, where this supports the retention of heritage places

Ensuring new development is generally compatible with the existing heritage context.

In addition to meeting the requirements of the local planning scheme, updating the LPP will assist the City to:

Strengthen heritage conservation objectives in the local planning strategy
Provide clearer guidance on how the development control principles in State planning policies are applied
Clarify how discretionary provisions of the local planning scheme will be used to conserve local heritage places
Explain how development applications affecting local heritage places will be assessed

The deemed provisions require that a LPP for a heritage area include a record of places that have heritage significance within that area. It is recommended that this record also include a list of all individual elements within the heritage area.

There is generally no requirement to assign an overall level of significance to the heritage area itself. Instead, each place within the area should be assessed and classified on how much it contributes to the overall heritage significance of the area. Each level of significance is described by the HCWA as follows:

Level of Significance	Description	Desired Outcome
Contributes	Contributes to the significance of the heritage area;	Conservation of the place is desirable. Any external alterations or extensions should reinforce the significance of the area, in accordance with the design guidelines.
Does not contribute	Does not contribute to the significance of the Heritage Area	Existing fabric does not need to be retained. Any new (replacement) development on the site should reinforce the significance of the area, in accordance with the design guidelines.

Heritage area designation does not prevent future development or change. Instead, it provides a framework to guide how change is managed over time.

Being included in a heritage area does not mean that buildings or places must remain unchanged. Properties may still be altered, extended, subdivided, updated or, in some circumstances, removed. The purpose of a heritage area is to ensure that both applicants and Council carefully consider the heritage values of a place as part of the development application process.

This approach helps ensure that new development responds in a considered and respectful way to the character and heritage significance of the area.

Document Library

Woodbridge Conservation Precinct LPP 2006
PDF (1.40 MB)

Contact Information
Phone	(08) 9267 9267
Website	www.swan.wa.gov.au
In writing	2 Midland Square, Midland, WA 6056 Privacy policy

(08) 9267 9267

www.swan.wa.gov.au

2 Midland Square, Midland, WA 6056

Woodbridge Conservation Precincts Local Planning Policy review