The Forrestfield Airport Link (FAL) project was announced by the WA State Government in 2014, to connect Perth Airport (and Forrestfield) with the Perth CBD via a new train line. The proposed rail line, a $2 billion item of government investment, is the largest single piece of economic infrastructure to benefit the Forrestfield area, improve connectivity to facilitate business investment and stimulate jobs and housing growth. It was considered essential by all key stakeholders, including the City of Kalamunda and the WAPC that the detailed local structure planning for the area be undertaken within the context of an overarching higher-level planning framework to ensure a consistent and integrated approach to the future development of the area.

Our project role involved closely working with the City, key State agencies and the technical sub-consultant team on the structure plan preparation process. We are the primary author of these documents and the principal strategists as to the preferred planning approach to resolving complex land use planning issues.

A number of key planning constraints required resolution including protection of significant environmental values within the project area, resolving water management arrangements, and understanding site access opportunities and constraints. We successfully addressed dealing with the industrial interface to the project area, reconciling bushfire management risk with the future form and landscaping treatments to public open space areas; and planning for the future delivery of essential community infrastructure including a primary school, district level recreation facilities and a community hub. Resolution of these constraints needed to take place within a context of heavily fragmented land ownership.

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Image credit: METRONET