Published on Thursday, 19 August 2021 at 3:27:39 PM
The Shire of Denmark is set to advertise a new local planning policy for ancillary dwellings (commonly known as ‘granny flats’) in the coming weeks.
At this month’s Ordinary Council Meeting held on Tuesday, Council considered a report which outlined the draft policy and its proposed guidelines for how a granny flat can be developed and used.
Council voted unanimously to advertise the draft policy for a public consultation period of at least 21 days.
It means the Denmark community will be asked to read, consider and provide feedback on the draft policy before it is once again put in front of Council for consideration.
The key points of the draft policy which will apply to all zones (noting the residential design codes apply to residential zoned areas) include a maximum size for proposed ancillary dwellings, provisions to reduce impact on neighbours, ensuring Special Residential Areas are not ‘over-developed’.
Shire of Denmark CEO David Schober said the draft policy was about providing more and varied housing options in the Shire of Denmark.
“As our community is well-aware, housing is a major issue in our Shire,” Mr Schober said.
“Council has committed to do what it can to assist with mitigating this issue. This draft policy to guide the future development of ancillary dwellings in our Shire is another step in the right direction but it’s important that we do this in a sensitive way.”
“The draft policy has been written to strike a balance between supporting owner opportunities and creating more housing options in our Shire, while ensuring neighbourhood amenity can be maintained.”
“We recognise there may be some concerns in the community about density in our special residential areas. The draft policy provides safeguards that we don’t currently have and we encourage residents and landowners in these areas to read what is proposed and to provide their feedback.”
Community members will be asked to share their thoughts with the Shire in writing during the public comment period which will be advertised in the coming weeks.
“Council values the input community members have on the range of issues which come before them and any feedback provided on this policy will be carefully read and considered by Councillors before the policy is presented for adoption in future.”
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