Trees and other vegetation are an essential part of the urban fabric, providing a variety of significant social, economic and environmental benefits.
The WA Government has committed to developing a new 'Urban Greening Strategy' to promote and enhance tree canopy and greening across the Perth and Peel region.
The new strategy will take a whole-of-Government approach to ensure new initiatives are coordinated and complement existing greening programs including the $3.75 million' Urban Greening Grants Program' – available to WA local governments in Perth and Peel now.
Development of the strategy will be led by the Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC) and will explore various elements aimed at enhancing tree canopy and creating more green spaces across the Perth and Peel regions:
tree canopy measurement and reporting
education and awareness
urban heat identification and mitigation
green linkages (looking at underutilised State Government land for greening opportunities)
urban greening grant program
The State Government will work closely with the WAPC, Western Australian Local Government Association (WALGA), and other stakeholders to build on the many successful urban greening projects already underway and to explore further planning incentives regarding tree retention.
The 'DesignWA' suite of policies includes provisions that require and incentivise retention of existing trees, new tree planting, deep soil zones, soft landscaping along with communal and private open space in low to higher density developments.
The recently announced revised State Planning Policy 7.3 Residential Design Codes, incorporating the medium density code, include incentives to retain existing trees as well as minimum planting and soft landscaping standards for new developments in medium density areas.
All Western Australians can get involved in supporting urban greening in their own yards, street, and neighbourhood and are invited to provide input on the development of the strategy by Friday, 7 June 2024. Find out how you can make a difference at wa.gov.au/urban-greening-strategy.
