Planning Staff are available to assist with general enquiries. Detailed technical enquiries may require an appointment.
Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 4.30pm
2 Southern Drive, Busselton WA 6280
city@busselton.wa.gov.au
(08) 9781 0444
Requests for a formal written response, detailed property history check, or feedback on a project design can be may via email by completing the Request for Planning Advice. Advice is given in good faith and it is not approval or an indication of a decision.
See My Project Quick Guides for an overview of development requirements specific to your project.
If you have detailed questions about a current planning matter, the best person to contact will usually be the City officer who is leading the assessment. If submissions from the general public are being sought, contact details will be available via the City’s YourSay Busselton platform. Note, however, that City officers may not be in a position to provide detailed answers to every question. Also note that in some cases only neighbours or other people in the vicinity of the site are invited to make submissions. In these cases, details on where to access information and the contact details for the assessing officer will only be provided in correspondence sent out to these people directly.
The fact that a planning matter is subject of consultation does not necessarily mean that the City is supportive of the proposal, or that the City agrees with all of the findings in the reports submitted by applicants in support of their proposal.
Planning decisions are made in accordance with planning legislation and planning policies that are mainly established by the State Government. Whilst the Council can exert some influence over the State’s legislation and policies and can also adopt local policies to deal with some matters, the Council’s capacity to do so is relatively limited.
Most planning controls are also subject of discretion and may be varied if the decision-maker considers that it is appropriate to do so. If an applicant is aggrieved by the decision, in some cases there is also a right for them to lodge an application for review (sometimes called an ‘appeal’) with the State Administrative Tribunal.
Depending on the context, planning decisions can be made by City staff or by the Council. They can also be made by the Regional Joint Development Assessment Panel (RJDAP), State Development Assessment Unit (SDAU), Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC) or Minister for Planning, all of which are part of the State Government. In some cases, even where the City has a role, the City is not the final decision-maker, with the final decision-maker being either the WAPC or Minister for Planning. Most decisions on development applications, however, are made by City staff.
If you have made a formal submission on a planning matter, you will be advised of the outcome once a decision has been made.
Councillors and City staff are bound by codes of conduct and other rules related to how they fulfil their functions. For Councillors, that means that, until a decision has actually been made, they are sometimes not able to express an opinion about a planning matter outside of formal Council meeting processes. Although Councillors may not be able to express their opinion on planning matters, they can listen and make note of any concerns you may have.
If you have made a formal submission on a planning matter, you will be advised of the outcome once a decision has been made. The purpose of consultation on planning matters is to identify issues that may need to be considered before a decision on the matter is made. The number of submissions is usually not a key consideration. Whether an issue is raised by one person or 100 people, the decision maker needs to consider relevant issues within the context of applicable planning legislation and policy.
If you make a submission on a planning matter and a decision on that matter is to be made by either the Council or Regional Joint Development Assessment Panel (RJDAP), the City will also advise you via email of the time and location of the meeting where the matter will be considered. There are also opportunities for submitters to make presentations to the Council or RJDAP as part of those meetings.
Council meetings are usually held in-person on a Wednesday evening at the City’s Busselton Administration Centre. RJDAP meetings are usually held during working hours and are sometimes held as in-person meetings and sometimes via videoconference. The format and location for RJDAP meetings is determined by the Presiding Member (Chairperson of the RJDAP).
Council meeting agendas are usually available on the City's website 12 to 13 days before the meeting. You can view upcoming Council meeting dates and see Council minutes and agendas at Council and Committee Meetings.
RJDAP meeting agendas are usually available 7 to 10 days before the meeting. View the City's Development Assessment Panels page for information including agendas and minutes.
