South Perth Activity Centre Plan

An activity centre is an area where there is a concentration of commercial, retail (including shopping, cafes, restaurants and bars) and residential land uses. Due to the land uses in activity centres they are also focal points in the transport network.

State Government planning policies encourage development in activity centres to improve services and business opportunities, increase housing close to jobs and services, and to improve the sustainability of the transport network by supporting walking, cycling and public transport. 

The State Government has organised the activity centres within metropolitan Perth into a hierarchy, to inform and help coordinate the planning of these important areas. There are 50 activity centres within the central sub-region of Perth, with the central business district being the largest. 

South Perth is classified as a district centre. District centres have a focus on servicing the daily and weekly needs of residents. They should aim to provide a local community focus and provide services, facilities and job opportunities that reflect the particular needs of their catchments. In South Perth, this includes recognising the location of the area adjacent to the Perth central business district. 

An Activity Centre Plan (ACP) is a document that provides the guiding framework for the planning and development of an activity centre. An ACP sets out the strategic vision for an area and the statutory planning requirements for development. An ACP guides the types of land uses and the overall development (including built form) that is intended to occur within the activity centre. It can detail land uses, environmental assets, residential density, built form, infrastructure and access arrangements.

An ACP includes:

• An Executive Summary;
• Part One implementation section, which contains the requirements against which development will be assessed;
• Part Two explanatory section, which contains the background information and rationale for Part One; and
• Technical Appendices.

The current population of the activity centre plan area is 2,675 people. This is forecast to grow to 4,750 people by the year 2031, and 7,500 people by 2041.

The City engaged expert consultants RPS to prepare a report on the potential for growth of the South Perth activity centre, including assessment of projections for population, employment, floor space, tourists/visitors, and retail expenditure. This report outlines the most likely growth trajectory for the area over the 25 years from 2016 to 2041.

The scenario testing and modelling undertaken for the South Perth Activity Centre Plan examines the full economic and social potential of the area. This evidence base informs planning for new infrastructure and development of controls on land use and built form that manage and shape the expected demand. These controls and the infrastructure and services that are developed then become constraints on development that shape the actual growth of the area over the life of the plan.

More information on the forecast growth of the activity centre plan area can be found in Part 2 of the South Perth Activity Centre Plan. The full Economic and Demographic Assessment report is attached to the plan as Appendix 1.

A large amount of traffic modelling has been completed for the South Perth activity centre and surrounding area over the past several years. The City engaged expert consultants FLYT to complete a report on the existing and forecast transport conditions within the activity centre plan area. The findings of this report are discussed in Part 2 of the Plan and the report itself is attached to the plan as Appendix 2 – Transport and Movement Analysis.

Overall, the street network in the activity centre area performs well under forecast growth scenarios and its configuration supports existing and future development as well as use by all transport modes. However, traffic forecasts show that the majority of road links in the area will be operating over capacity in peak times by 2031 unless a greater proportion of trips are made by non-car transport modes.

There is a strong focus in the South Perth Activity Centre Plan on reducing car use in the area. The ferry and bus services provide public transport options and the high quality public realm encourages pedestrians and cycling. Increasing the use of non-car transport modes is important to ensure that the transport network remains efficient as the local area and wider city grow.

The Perth-Mandurah rail line includes space within the railway reserve (between the tracks) near the end of Richardson Street to construct a South Perth station in the future. The future development of a train station has been incorporated into strategic planning for the area since the rail line was constructed in 2007.

It is not known when a train station may be constructed, however a station would improve the accessibility of the area by public transport and would support higher urban densities within the activity centre.

Longer term development in accordance with the South Perth Activity Centre Plan will support the construction of a train station. Although the development of the station is not a direct objective of the activity centre plan, the development controls and other actions identified in the plan are expected to strengthen the case for a station to be built.