Planning is an area that impacts all communities, and with ever changing requirements, can often result in complex and controversial issues for Local Governments to consider. 

Planning for growth and change needs to consider the future needs of all residents. Whilst there are many social and economic benefits to growth, additional population places pressure on infrastructure and community facilities. With ongoing reform and major legislative, regulatory and policy changes to the planning system in Western Australia, it is more critical than ever that Elected Members and Local Government Officers alike are familiar with current processes to ensure effective decision making for their communities.

The WALGA Planning Essentials and Advanced Courses offer an insight into the regulatory frameworks for both Regional and Metropolitan WA, covering topics such as the State and Local Planning Frameworks, key decision makers, structure and precinct planning, development and subdivision assessment and condition setting.

It also covers topics of emerging relevance, such as development contribution plans, tree canopy and coastal and environmental planning.

With in-depth training by experienced planning professionals, decision makers will be able to better understand their capacity to influence planning process, as well as advocate for the needs of their communities. The WALGA Planning Courses will ensure you have the ability to effectively convey planning decisions to the community by learning the essentials and fundamentals of planning in the Western Australian context.

To overcome and assist with the current shortage of qualified planners, from late 2023, WALGA will introduce a fundamentals course on the Residential Design Codes. This practical course will provide new graduates or non-planning Officers with the basic skills needed to undertake R-Code assessments and to make recommendations on proposals. WALGA is also investigating other training solutions to address this known skills gap.
 

An online course that introduces the concepts of Town Planning as a core function of Local Government and is relevant to both Elected Members and Officers.
  • Suitable for all Local Government Officers and Elected Members wanting to gain an introductory understanding of Town Planning practices. Suitable for recent planning or similar field graduates, community members or representatives
The Planning Practices - Advanced course provides a deeper understanding of a range of common planning topics that arise, to provide a more comprehensive knowledge base for decision-makers.
Suitable for all Local Government Officers and suitable for recent planning or similar field graduates.