SUMMARY SHEET DRAFT SOUTH PERTH ACTIVITY CENTRE PLAN

2
PART ONE, SECTION 4 BUILT FORM

BUILDING SIZE (HEIGHT & PLOT RATIO)

All properties within the draft South Perth Activity Centre Plan (ACP) area have building height and
plot ratio limits, which work together to control the size of buildings. Other requirements, including
setbacks and floorplate area limits (see Summary Sheets 3 and 4) also combine to define the area
within which the building can be built. This is referred to as the building envelope.

PLOT RATIO AND BUILDING

ENVELOPE

Plot Ratio

Building height is the distance between the natural ground
level and the highest point of wall or roof of a building. For a
full definition of how building height is measured see State
Planning Policy 3.1 Residential Design Codes, Appendix 1.
Plot ratio is the ratio of the total floor area of a building to
the area of the site. For example a plot ratio of 1.0 means
that the floor area is equal to the site area. Some areas of
the building are excluded from the calculation of plot ratio
including lift shafts, machinery rooms and bin storage
areas. However, in the ACP area above-ground parking is
included in the calculation of plot ratio. This encourages
building designers to limit the amount of parking and/or to
provide underground parking.
The draft ACP contains the objectives for building height
and plot ratio, which will be considered by the City and
decision makers including Development Assessment Panels
when assessing development applications, including for
buildings that exceed the base (lowest) building height or
plot ratio limits.
Building height and plot ratio limits for the ACP area are
in Schedule 9B, which forms part of the proposed Town
Planning Scheme Amendment No. 61 (Amendment No.
61). When assessing and determining development
applications, the City and decision makers including
Development Assessment Panels must ensure that
applications comply with the City’s Town Planning Scheme.
Therefore amending the Town Planning Scheme to include
the building height and plot ratio limits gives the greatest
possible certainty that future development applications in
the ACP area comply with these requirements.
BUILDING ENVELOPE

WHAT ARE THE DRAFT ACP OBJECTIVES FOR BUILDING HEIGHT? (ACP PART 1,
SECTION 4.1.1, PAGE 18)
Objectives
i. To ensure that building heights are consistent with the desired future scale and built form of the activity
centre and character area
ii. To ensure that the interface between character areas is appropriately managed
iii. To facilitate and manage growth across the ACP area based on population growth forecasts and identified
economic and transport capacity, reflecting the centre’s role as an inner city activity centre
iv. To establish a consistent and transparent performance-based approval process that accommodates
additional development potential in return for public benefit contributions in appropriate locations and
development proposals
v. To locate larger scale developments within walking distance of the Mends Street ferry terminal and the
future South Perth train station to optimise access to transit services for new development.
WHAT ARE THE DRAFT ACP OBJECTIVES FOR PLOT RATIO? (PART 1, SECTION 4.2,
PAGE 21)
Objectives
i. To control the amount of development permitted on any development site within the defined building
envelope
ii. To provide sufficient space within the building envelope to encourage variation in building design and
response to individual site conditions
iii. To encourage building designers to consider the best allocation of plot ratio area.

WHAT ARE THE PROPOSED SCHEDULE 9B REQUIREMENTS FOR BUILDING HEIGHT

AND PLOT RATIO? (PROPOSED AMENDMENT NO. 61, PROVISION 5 ELEMENT 2 & 6)
The Schedule includes three ‘tiers’ of building height and plot ratio limits. These tiers work on the principle
that as a building gets taller and larger it must become more slender, relative to the size of the site.
All properties can build up to the base building height or plot ratio limit shown on the map (Map 2 in proposed
Schedule 9B). A building may be approved up to the Tier 1 additional building height/plot ratio limit if:
• the tower floorplate area is reduced (see Summary Sheet 4); and
• the building achieves an excellent standard of design quality (see Summary Sheet 5); and
• a public benefit contribution is provided (see Summary Sheet 6).
On certain sites (those within the orange dotted line on the map over the page) a building may be approved up
to the Tier 2 additional building height/plot ratio limit if:
• the tower floorplate area is further reduced; and
• the building achieves an exemplary standard of design quality; and
• a public benefit contribution is provided.

HAVE
YOUR SAY
Feedback closes
5pm, Monday
22 July.

Share your feedback with us by completing the feedback forms at

yoursay.southperth.wa.gov.au.
Hard copy feedback forms are also available at the Civic Centre and City
libraries.
WHY IS A ‘TIERED SYSTEM OF BUILDING HEIGHT AND PLOT RATIO LIMITS’ PROPOSED?
The tiered system of building height and plot ratio limits aims to encourage variety in the built form – so some sites will have
taller and larger buildings than others, with different designs. It also ensures that as buildings get taller or larger they must be
slimmer, relative to the size of the site, and have more space around them. Finally, taller and larger buildings must meet more
demanding standards of design (see summary sheet 5) and provide public benefit contributions, to be spent on items that will
benefit the users of the area (see summary sheet 6).

Building Height Limits (proposed Schedule 9B, Map 2)

BUILDING HEIGHT LIMIT

HEIGHT TYPE (PLOT RATIO LIMIT IN BRACKETS)
Base Tier 1 Tier 2

Low 14.4m (2.0) 17.5m (2.2) Not

Low - Medium 17.7m (2.5) 30.9m (2.8) Available

Medium 24.3m (4.0) 37.5m (4.8) 60.6m (5.5)

Medium - High 37.5m (5.4) 57.3m (6.6) 90.3m (7.6)

High 50.7m (7.2) 77.1m (8.8) 123.3m (9.8)

Landmark Site Refer Provision 5, Element 1 of Schedule 13

Ac�vity Centre Plan &

Character Areas Boundary
Tier 2 Addi�onal Development Poten�al Available

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