Share your feedback on the future of Beaufort Street and heritage centres
The City of Stirling is inviting community feedback on a draft Local Planning Policy that will guide how development occurs along Beaufort Street and in local centres within heritage areas.
Open for consultation from 9-30 June, the draft policy aims to strike a balance between protecting the character of these well-loved places and allowing for thoughtful, contemporary development.
The policy is being developed as part of the City’s transition to Local Planning Scheme No.4 (LPS4), which is expected to come into effect in the second half of 2026. As part of these changes, the way heritage areas are managed is also evolving.
Under state planning regulations, heritage areas can no longer be designated through local planning schemes. Instead, they must be identified and managed through local planning policies. This means a new approach is needed to guide development in areas like Beaufort Street.
The draft policy replaces the existing Beaufort Street Local Development Plan with a simplified framework that aligns with state planning requirements, while still responding to what the community values most.
To help shape the draft policy, the City sought community perspectives, which revealed strong support for retaining traditional buildings – especially those built before 1960 – and discouraging their demolition.
There was also strong support for new development to reflect the architectural styles that give Beaufort Street its character, such as Art Deco and Federation-era influences.
At the same time, the community expressed moderate support for contemporary designs, provided they respond to the existing character through elements like materials, colours and detailing.
These insights have been carried through into the draft policy, which places a strong emphasis on protecting the street’s heritage character while allowing some flexibility for new development.
Key features of the draft policy include:
- Retaining and protecting traditional buildings and architectural styles
- Providing clear guidance on how new development should respond to heritage character
- Introducing heritage area analysis and character statements to support decision-making
- Simplifying planning requirements by aligning development standards with the state’s Residential Design Codes (R-Codes)
- Removing duplicated or overly complex provisions from the previous planning framework.
The policy also removes a number of older requirements – such as precinct-specific rules, site-specific provisions and additional design layers – to create a more consistent and streamlined approach.
Importantly, while the policy provides clear guidance, it operates within the broader planning framework where decision-makers must have “due regard” to relevant policies, codes and plans when assessing development applications.
Community feedback will play an important role in considerations before the policy is finalised.
