Survey 2: Draft Planning for Tourism Position Statement

Overview

The draft Position Statement: Planning for Tourism and associated Guidelines are now open for public comment. 

Together, they outline the policy position of the Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC) and guide the appropriate management of tourism land use and development in our State.

The draft Position Statement and Guidelines also give clear and consistent direction to local governments on the definition and treatment of short-term rental accommodation in Western Australia.

You should provide comment through Survey 2 if you are interested in whether some forms of short-term rentals should be exempt from requiring development approval, including the proposed 60-day cap for unhosted accommodation, and/or how short-term rentals are defined in the planning system.

We are particularly interested in feedback on the proposed development exemptions and changes under the short-term rental accommodation section (sections 5.2.2 and 5.3.2).

The WAPC will consider all submissions on the Position Statement before releasing a final Position Statement and Guidelines that individual local governments can use to help guide policy-making and local planning scheme provisions in their areas and the Government progressing introducing State-wide development exemptions for low-scale short-term rental accommodation into regulation.

Documents

• Position Statement - Planning for Tourism
• Draft Planning for Tourism Guidelines

Background

The draft Position Statement: Planning for Tourism and associated Guidelines outline the policy position of the Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC) and guide the appropriate management of tourism land use and development in our State.

While we welcome all comments on the content of the Position Statement, we are particularly interested in feedback on the proposed development exemptions and changes under the short-term rental accommodation section (sections 5.2.2 and 5.3.2). 

Please do not provide comments on the proposed State-wide registration scheme for short-term rental accommodation through this section. Comment on the registration scheme is not within the scope of the draft Position Statement and cannot be considered by the Western Australian Planning Commission. Comments on the registration scheme should be made using Survey 1: Registration scheme for short-term rental accommodation. 

What happens next

As this is a draft Position Statement, there is no immediate change to existing planning controls for tourism uses and short-term rental accommodation in your area. 

The WAPC will consider all submissions on the Position Statement before releasing a final Position Statement and Guidelines that individual local governments can use to help guide policy-making and local planning scheme provisions in their areas, and the Government progressing introducing State-wide development exemptions for low-scale short-term rental accommodation into regulation.