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The Map of Bushfire Prone Areas identifies land in Western Australia that has the potential to be impacted by bushfires. This land is designated by the Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner.
Additional planning and building requirements may apply to new proposals within a bushfire prone area. A further assessment of bushfire risk may also be required to ensure future developments in bushfire prone areas are safer.
The requirements are described in State Planning Policy 3.7: Planning in Bushfire Prone Areas (SPP 3.7) and the Guidelines for Planning in Bushfire Prone Areas (Guidelines). You can find these documents at wa.gov.au.
Additional planning and building requirements may apply to developments and subdivisions within designated bushfire prone areas, in accordance with Schedule 2 Part 10A of the Planning and Development (Local Planning Schemes) Regulations 2015, SPP-3.7, the Guidelines, and the Building Code of Australia.
If you are the proponent, you’ll be responsible for ensuring that the proposal complies with the relevant planning policies and building regulations. Certain exemptions and exclusions may apply.
View the map to see all of the bushfire prone areas in WA (marked in pink). Sites that have been in a designated bushfire prone area for less than four months may not be required to comply with building or planning requirements.
Tip: If the map appears blank, you may need to clear the cache in your browser. Alternatively, check for mapping outages here.
The State Government is currently reviewing WA’s bushfire planning and building frameworks. This is to ensure they are based on scientific evidence and adapted to the State’s landscapes and bushfire risks.
A working group representing DFES, DPLH, DMIRS and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is undertaking the review. It’s anticipated an updated Map of Bushfire Prone Areas, draft SPP 3.7 and the Guidelines will be released for public discussion before being finalised in 2022. DFES has released the 2021 update of the Map of Bushfire Prone Areas after consulting with local governments and relevant State agencies. This update identifies bushfire prone areas of Western Australia as designated by the Fire and Emergency Services (FES) Commissioner on 11 December 2021.
DFES has an important role to play in advising these decision makers on bushfire risk issues in accordance with SPP 3.7 and Guidelines. Decision makers can refer planning proposals in designated bushfire prone areas to our Land Use Planning team for advice.
The Land Use Planning team also provide evidence for the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) proceedings on bushfire risk, together with its consequences for planning decisions; and act as a referral agency when there is Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) contamination.
Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) refers to ammunition which has been fired but has not functioned as designed. Search and remediation conditions are placed by DFES on planning approvals, with search and remediation to be carried out by contractors approved by the Department of Defence.
UXO data for WA is owned by DFES and published by the Department of Defence.
For map and dataset queries, contact us at the Office of Bushfire Risk Management. To enquire about a referral or UXO contamination, contact the Land Use Planning team.
