The Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage has adopted a new policy which guides the location and selection of development sites for new Government and private schools.
Operational Policy 2.4 — Planning for School Sites delivers a contemporary approach to planning for future schools; ensures a more transparent approach to cash-in-lieu arrangements, and enables childcare facilities to be co-located.
The Department said the policy required school sites to be strategically located, with a minimum of three street frontages, with consideration to be given to bikes, scooters and other transport modes, neighbourhood traffic networks and road safety.
“Sites must also be large enough to cater for childcare or education support facilities where required,” the Department said.
“Developers will be required to engage with the Department of Education early in the planning process, to ensure Government school sites are unencumbered and able to be developed, reducing the cost to taxpayers and enabling more efficient delivery of schools.”
Minister for Planning, Rita Saffioti said the policy addressed many issues experienced in the delivery of new schools in residential communities, and would ensure future schools were located in areas that supported improved traffic networks, associated services, and incurred less cost and barriers to construction.
“It provides clarity for developers on the requirements for site selection for schools when master planning a new community, or alternatively sets a more equitable formula for calculating developer contributions in circumstances where allocation of land is not an option,” Ms Saffioti said.
Minister for Education and Training, Sue Ellery said the policy would ensure that thousands of Western Australians investing in new homes and new residential communities had greater certainty on the future delivery of local schools.
The new 15-page policy Planning for School Sites can be accessed at this PS News link.
