General Planning Enquiries

An Urban Planner is available Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) from 8.30am to 5pm to assist customers with general planning enquiries.

The Urban Planners can assist with general enquiries such as:

• Land zoning
• Development application lodgement and process
• Statutory timeframes
• Community consultation requirements
• General advice on local planning policy requirements

The City will endeavour to provide you with as much information as possible however please be advised the Urban Planners cannot confirm if a departure to the statutory planning framework and/or a development application would be supported in the absence of a formal development application. This is because the City is required to review the proposal holistically and consider all elements of the proposed development.

The Urban Planner is available at the Administration building, via phone or email.

Address: 244 Vincent Street (corner of Loftus Street), Leederville, Western Australia, 6007

Phone: 08 9273 6000

Email: mail@vincent.wa.gov.au 

Written Planning Advice

The City can provide formal advice in writing in relation to a number of planning matters.

While the City will endeavour to provide you with as much information as possible and provide some direction as to whether a proposal could be improved, or areas to be considered, the City cannot:

• Confirm whether or not a departure would or would not be supported in the absence of a formal development application
• Confirm whether a proposal would or would not be supported in the absence of a formal development application
• Undertake a full assessment of a proposal in the absence of a formal development application

RELEVANT FORMS

Written Planning Advice Application Form

Pre-Lodgement Meeting

The City of Vincent invites pre-lodgment meetings for all application types however please be mindful, general enquiries should be dealt with through the general enquiries process detailed above.

Depending on the application type, a pre-lodgement meeting can be held with an Urban Planner, Senior Urban Planner or Coordinator Planning Services. The purpose of pre-lodgement meetings are for the City’s officers to review the proposal, provide general advice, identify areas of improvement and to discuss the development application process. Pre-lodgement meetings will not confirm whether or not the City will support the proposal. 

To request a pre-lodgement meeting, please email mail@vincent.wa.gov.au requesting a meeting and including a copy of plans and a brief description of your proposal.

Single House Deemed-to-Comply Check

What is the deemed-to-comply check?

The construction of a new single house, or extensions and/or renovations to an existing house may be exempt from requiring development approval if they meet the deemed-to-comply criteria of Volume 1 of the Residential Design Codes or any local planning policy that amends or replace these criteria. 

The deemed-to-comply check allows applicants who are intending on either building a new single house or extending and/or altering an existing single house to seek advice from the City as to whether development approval is needed for what they are proposing. 

The intent of this check is to provide applicants with confidence that their proposal can proceed straight to building permit. 

This is a voluntary process that only applies to single houses and extensions or renovations to existing single houses.

How can I apply for a deemed-to-comply check and what do I submit?

An application for a deemed-to-comply check must be made to the City using the correct form, found in the relevant forms section below. 

The fee for a deemed-to-comply check is currently $295.

The following relevant documentation must be submitted with the application:

• Site Plan - showing lot dimensions, all existing an proposed structures, existing and proposed existing and proposed ground levels, any structures proposed to be removed, existing and proposed pedestrian and vehicle access, car parking spaces including layout and dimensions, any proposed open space and landscaping
• Floor Plans - of buildings proposed to be erected or altered, and any buildings proposed to be retained, complete with setbacks to all lot boundaries
• Elevation Plans - of buildings proposed to be erected or altered, and any buildings proposed to be retained, complete with existing and proposed ground levels and wall and roof height dimensions taken from natural ground level
• Landscape Plan - showing planting areas and proposed tree locations and species

You may be asked to provide more information before the application is accepted and lodged.

You can lodge your application by emailing mail@vincent.wa.gov.au. The application is not accepted until payment has been received.   

What advice would I receive back from the City?

Once accepted and lodged, the City will review the application and information provided to check whether what is being proposed meets all the relevant deemed-to-comply criteria of the R-Codes Volume 1 and, where relevant, any local planning policy.

It is important to note that this is not a de-facto development application process, but a simple check of the proposal against the deemed-to-comply criteria of the R-Codes and any relevant local planning policy.

Advice of the outcome will be provided within 14 days of the application being accepted and lodged.

The advice will state either that:

• The proposal is exempt from development approval; or 
• The proposal is not exempt from development approval. This will include the reasons why, by briefly outlining where and how the proposal does not meet the deemed-to- comply criteria of the R-Codes and any relevant local planning policy

What happens next?

If the advice states that your proposal is exempt, you may lodge an application for a building permit.

If your proposal is not exempt, you have a number of options available to you:

• You may apply for development approval, or
• You may amend your plans to address the areas of non-compliance and submit another deemed-to-comply check, or
• You may amend your plans to address the areas of non-compliance and apply for a building permit. Please note that if you choose this option, an area of non-compliance that was not addressed fully may be identified through the building permit process and you may be requested to apply for development approval

Relevant form

Deemed-to-Comply Check Application Form

What is the purpose of the Design Review Panel?

The City’s Design Review Panel was formed to provide independent expert advice to the City’s Council, Administration and applicants on the design and site planning of specified development proposals.

The Panel facilitates an improvement in urban design and the quality of the built environment within the City through the provision of information, expert advice and recommendations.

What type of applications will be referred to the Design Review Panel?

Development Applications are to be referred to the Panel for their consideration and comment in accordance with the below terms of reference. 

DESIGN REVIEW PANEL - TERMS OF REFERENCE.

These include but are not limited to:

• Proposals that are considered, significant because of their size or uses they support
• Proposals that are considered, significant because of their site
• Proposals that are considered, significant because of their community impact
• Proposals which would benefit from the design review process
• Any scheme amendment, structure plan, policy, precinct plan, local development plan or design guideline which would benefit from design review by the Panel

If you are unsure if your proposal should be reviewed by the City's Design Review Panel, email a copy of the development plans to mail@vincent.wa.gov.au.

When should I refer my application to the Design Review Panel?

Design review should begin well before a development application is submitted.

To get the most out of the design review panel, it is recommended proposals are referred to the design review panel as early in the design process as possible (i.e. during concept stage). The design is generally flexible at this stage and can incorporate change without impacting on time and cost constraints.

Proposals that are referred to the Panel after formal lodgement of the application may experience delays in the development application process due to requiring consideration of ‘good design’ at a later stage. The Panel may suggestion changes to the proposal which require substantial changes thereby delaying the process.

What information do I need to submit?

The following information should be provided as part of the submissions:

• Completed DRP application form
• Applicable fee refer to Fees and Charges
• Electronic version of the Concept Plan / Development Plans
• Artists impression and coloured elevations
• Context / Streetscape Analysis which considers the site location and character and considers the desired future character of the area
• Response to comments made by the Design Review Panel (if the proposal was considered at a previous meeting)

All information is to be emailed to mail@vincent.wa.gov.au.

When do I need to submit the information?

Prior to submitting the above mentioned information, please contact the City via phone (9273 6000) or email mail@vincent.wa.gov.au to schedule the proposal into the next available meeting.

The required information is to be submitted two (2) weeks prior to the meeting to allow suitable time for the City’s officers to undertake an assessment, a report to be created and the information to be distributed to the Panel members prior to the meeting.

Do I need to pay a fee?

The fee for proposal to be reviewed by the Design Review Panel prior to formal lodgement of the application is $705.

The fee allows for the proposal to be reviewed by the panel at a maximum of two meetings.

Should I be present at the Design Review Panel meeting?

It is strongly recommended that applicants prepare a PowerPoint presentation for the City’s Officer and Panel members.

The presentation is recommended to make specific reference to the ten (10) Design Principles of ‘good design’. The design principles are:

1. Context
2. Scale
3. Built Form
4. Density
5. Sustainability
6. Landscape
7. Amenity
8. Safety and Security
9. Social Dimensions and housing Affordability
10. Aesthetics

The presentation should be no longer than 10 minutes. Where a proposal has previously been considered by the Design Review Panel, the presentation should also specify how the previous comments have been addressed.

Applicants guide to presenting at the Design Review Panel

Will I receive a copy of the minutes from the meeting?

A copy of the minutes from the meeting will be provided to the applicant within two (2) weeks of the meeting date. The minutes will be captured against the applicable design principles and an overall rating against a traffic light system will be provided to measure the acceptability of the development.

What are your meeting dates?

Design Review Panel Meeting Schedule 2024