Meltham Surrounds

The Minister for Planning, the Hon Rita Saffioti, MLA, has since refused the City’s proposed Meltham surrounds scheme amendment on the basis that it no longer aligns with the City’s modified draft Local Planning Strategy.

After the City sent the proposed Meltham surrounds scheme amendment to the WAPC for approval, the WAPC directed the City to modify its draft Local Planning Strategy by reducing the Meltham Station Precinct area from an approximate 800m (10 minute walkable catchment) to a 400m (5 minute walkable catchment). This modification resulted in a misalignment between the proposed Meltham surrounds scheme amendment and the City’s modified draft Local Planning Strategy.

Council at its Ordinary Meeting dated 21 April 2020 resolved to recommend that the Western Australian Planning Commission approve Amendment No. 87 to the City of Bayswater Town Planning Scheme No. 24 (scheme amendment), subject to modifications. The minutes of the meeting are available here.

Since February 2019, the City has been working with the community on their expectations, ideas and aspirations for the built environment in the area surrounding Meltham Station.

As part of this project we established a Community Panel, made up of a random and representative selection of stakeholders from the area.

This group of 26 community members gathered on Saturday 18, Sunday 19 and Saturday 25 May 2019 to provide advice to Council on community preferences on building heights, setbacks, development rules and the community’s vision for the area.

Over these three half-days, they considered ideas and feedback that arose during the broader engagement, and heard from industry professionals on relevant topics.

A summary report of the engagement process and key outcomes is being prepared and will be added to the document library soon.

A full recommendations report is being prepared and will likely be presented to Council in the near future.

Thanks to everyone who expressed their interest to be involved in the community panel and to those who participated, volunteering their time to help us reach some great outcomes.

Thanks to the community members who spent their Saturday afternoon at Saturday’s community workshop.

We appreciate your thoughts, ideas and views, as they help to ensure future development surrounding Meltham Station is considered in a local context, in line with the community’s vision.

Saturday’s conversation was varied, with some great insight. The focus of most groups was around:

• The transition of height, stepping down in height as you move away from the train station.
• Buildings around public open space.
• The importance of good design.
• Traffic and parking issues created from an increase in population.

If you didn’t make it to one of the workshops, there is still time to share what changes you would like to see, if any, to the building heights, density, development rules and land-use zonings in the area. The online survey and mapping tool will close on Friday 12 April 2019.

Registrations for the community panel also close on Friday 12 April, so if you would like to get involved in forming the recommendations in May, register your interest!

It was an interesting and diversified conversation, with some of the community’s discussion covering:

• Encouraging more environmental and sustainable design.
• Traffic issues that already exist in the area, particualry on Railway Parade, Whatley Crescent and Grand Prominade, and how this will likely increase with more people living in the area.
• Parking is already an issue and if there were more people living in the area it will further increase the amount of cars parked on the street.
• The opportunities to go up to 3-4 storeys around public open space, but ensure the public open space is upgraded in return, and ask the community how they want to use it, e.g. make it safer.
• The Watercorp drainage area could be re-purposed into a park.
• More housing would be ok, if it would mean local shops and services within walking distance would be viable.

If you were unable to attend on Monday, you can register for the upcoming workshop on Saturday 23 March at Bayswater Drill Hall from 2pm to 4pm.

You can also get involved by completing the online survey or map out what’s important to you in the area.

We are now calling for your thoughts, ideas and aspirations for the built environment in the area surrounding Meltham Station.

Your views will help the City understand what changes you would like to see, if any, to the building heights, density, development rules and land-use zonings in the area.

You can get involved by:

• Completing the online survey and mapping exercise
• Join in the conversation at:

• Attend a community workshop at the Bayswater Drill Hall:

• Registering your interest to be part of the community panel, with half-day sessions on 18, 19 and 25 May 2019.

By getting involved you will be helping us to explore the future and create the best possible outcomes for the walkable catchment area around Meltham Train Station.

Don’t forget to get your online survey and community panel registrations in by 12 April 2019.