Please note: The Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage is working jointly on changes to the Map of Bush Fire Prone Areas and the supporting bushfire policy framework. For more information visit Bushfire Framework Review 2019
Map of Bushfire Prone Areas
State Planning Policy 3.7 Planning in Bushfire Prone Areas (SPP 3.7) directs how land use should address bushfire risk management in Western Australia. It applies to all land which has been designated as bushfire prone by the Fire and Emergency Services (FES) Commissioner as highlighted on the Map of Bush Fire Prone Areas.
SPP 3.7 seeks to guide the implementation of effective risk-based land use planning and development to preserve life and reduce the impact of bushfire on property and infrastructure. It applies to all higher order strategic planning documents, strategic planning proposals, subdivision and development applications located in designated bushfire prone areas (unless exemptions apply). This policy also applies where an area is not yet designated as bushfire prone but the proposed development is planned in a way that introduces a bushfire hazard (e.g. revegetation).
The accompanying Guidelines for Planning in Bushfire Prone Areas provide supporting information to assist in the interpretation of the objectives and policy measures outlined in SPP 3.7. They provide advice on how bushfire risk is to be addressed when planning, designing or assessing a planning proposal within a designated bushfire prone area.
The Department and the Department of Fire and Emergency Services are currently undertaking a staged review of the Guidelines. New versions of the Guidelines will be released on a periodic basis.
Version 1.3 was released in December 2017. The changes within this version are effective immediately and all planning proposals and applications where SPP 3.7 applies should be assessed against the updated criteria within reason.
The main changes contained in the updates are outlined in a version control summary table.