The Land Use Planning (LUP) team helps to shape and inform land use planning policy and outcomes in Western Australia. We provide advice based on geoscience, resource mapping, and prospectivity assessments. On behalf of the Minister for Mines and Petroleum, our team holds an approval role for changes to Crown land tenure. LUP actions are based on Western Australian legislation that relate to mineral and energy resources and land tenure and/or land use:
Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Resources Act 1967
Planning and Development Act 2005
Future access to mineral and energy resources can be impacted by changes to land tenure and/or land use. Some changes to land tenure invalidate existing resource access consents and require the proponent to gain new approvals before onsite activities can continue.
A diagram showing our workflow from proposal to decision making
Our core functions
LUP’s purpose is to ensure the continuity of community benefits from Western Australia’s resources endowment. This is underpinned by these core functions:
- shaping land use policy and outcomes through engagement and collaboration with government agencies and local government areas (LGAs).
- informing decision making by providing advice and geoscientific resource mapping data to government, LGAs, industry, and the community.
- fostering coexistence, transitional and sequential land uses, particularly around townsite planning and rural land use.
- assessing proposals (including industry referrals) and providing approvals/recommendations for proposed land tenure and land use changes throughout the State.
When assessing land use/tenure changes, some of the key considerations include:
- using geoscientific information to establish prospectivity and help maintain access to valuable mineral, petroleum, and basic raw materials as well as areas needed for future exploration.
- State Planning Policies – ensure proposed planning strategies, schemes and structure plans consider responsible long-term supply of Basic Raw Materials and strategic minerals (battery metals, critical minerals, titanium-zircon, etc.).
- coexistence with mineral and energy resources including transitional and sequential land uses, particularly around rural land use and during townsite planning.
- avoiding unnecessary sterilisation of mineral and energy resources from incompatible land uses, such as subdivision and development proposals, scheme amendments (rezoning), planning strategies, structure plans, land management plans, and infrastructure proposals.
A diagram explaining how land becomes open for mining in Western Australia
Our key projects
We provide input into significant State priority projects. Recent examples include:
- Native Title settlement agreements
- Plan for Our Parks
- Spatial database of Basic Raw Materials and Titanium-Zircon Mineral Resources.
Basic Raw Materials (BRM)
Basic Raw Materials (BRM) are essential for the constructions of buildings, roads and other infrastructure. LUP provides spatial data and information regarding BRM resources to help support Government land use planning outcomes
For further information see Basic Raw Materials.
File Notation Areas (FNA)
We use a system called File Notation Areas (FNAs) to show land tenure changes being assessed.
What are FNAs?
- FNAs highlight proposed changes to land ownership or use.
- These changes are important because they might affect people’s access to the land or their land interests.
Where can you see FNAs?
- FNAs are shown in Tengraph Web and GeoVIEW.WA
- To view them, go to the 'Special Category Land' section in the Layers table and select File Notation Areas.
What else is in the Special Category Land Layer?
This layer also includes information about other land features that might affect resource access, like:
- Aboriginal Heritage Areas
- Environmental Considerations
By checking these tools, you can stay informed about land use changes that might impact your interests or activities.
