Planning Projects

Background:

In 2018, MRS amendment 1344/57 was initiated. The purpose of the amendment was to rezone approximately 177.53 ha of land in Maida Vale from the Rural zone to the Urban Deferred zone in the MRS. The Urban Deferred zone allows for future residential development and areas of public open space.

On 7 January 2025, the Minister for Environment published a statement that the MRS amendment may be implemented subject to conditions.

The full statement can be found here.

City Community Engagement

On 11 February 2025, the City of Kalamunda wrote to the landowners of the 148 sites in the precinct to capture feedback via the City’s Engage website. The advertising period concluded on 7 March 2025.

The City received a total of 70 submissions from 62 addresses within the precinct. This represents a response rate of 42% of the 148 surveys that were sent out.

The number of responses is considered to provide a representative sample of the community to understand the sentiment of the community.

While the consultation process indicated a relatively even number respondents for or against residential development, the number of respondents in support of residential development was considered high in the context of a rural residential area undergoing an urban transition.

A summary of the survey results is provided below:

• The survey indicates close results between the support and non-support towards future residential development of the precinct. It can be concluded that future development will be received positively if development is planned with logical and contemporary neighbourhood design principles, with appropriate consideration to protecting and enhancing the natural environment when reviewing structure plans, subdivision and development proposals.
• Development proposals that provide liveable quality—designed houses with adequate open spaces that include trees, and natural habitats seem compatible with a rural-feeling lifestyle, that many respondents want to keep and protect.
• Additionally, proponents of future developments emphasise addressing the affordable housing crisis, improving infrastructure and land use, and boosting the local economy by attracting new residents and supporting local businesses. There is an opportunity for structure planning to acknowledge these values.

Approval

On 9^th September 2025, the WAPC approved the amendment to rezone the area from Rural to Urban in the MRS. The WAPC has concurrently rezoned the area to Urban Development in the City’s Local Planning Scheme.

Urban Development initiates the requirement of a Local Structure Plan to be prepared that defines areas for residential development, local open space, activity centres and public purpose. The Structure Plan must be prepared before subdivision and development can occur.

As of September 2025, the City is yet to receive any formal proposal for a Structure Plan but the City is aware that these plans are in the process of being prepared. 

The City has prepared a set of Frequently Asked Questions to assist with queries regarding the process.

All documents relating to the amendment can be found on the DPLH website.