City wants more buffer zone research

The City of Rockingham will ask the State Government to undertake further scientific research before it settles on legal boundaries for the Western Trade Coast industrial area buffer zone.

In a formal submission to the Department of State Development this week, the City will outline its support for a buffer to ensure conflicting land uses are kept separate, Mayor Barry Sammels said.

Cr Sammels said it was essential to have a modern basis for the buffer, which was formed in the 1980s based solely on air-quality criteria at a time when sulphur dioxide emissions were particularly high.

He said the current buffer was no longer accurate or effective for strategic land use planning and the protection of the rights of landowners.

"Ultimately, the City would like to see compatible and harmonious future development with a science-based, modern buffer in which there could be transitional land uses, while ensuring residential areas are protected from the impacts of heavy industry," Cr Sammels said.

Submissions on the proposed Planning and Development Legislation Amendment (Western Trade Coast Protection Area) Bill 2015 close on Friday.

New legislation is expected to be introduced to State Parliament early next year.