What is a Streetscape?

The visual elements of a street - this includes the road itself, adjoining dwellings, other buildings, pathways, fencing, cycle ways, street furniture, trees and associated spaces. These combine to give each street a certain form and character. This character reinforces how spaces are ordered – whether that is through a rural landscape prevailing, or through enabling a more urban character with pathways, street furniture and visible buildings to prevail.

What are the different streetscape types within the Shire?

The Shire’s has four main streetscape categories – Rural, Rural Residential, Urban and finally Town Centre.

What are their unique characteristics?

RURAL

The rural streetscape typically coincides with areas that are used for rural and general farming purposes, on larger plots of land. This includes the full range of rural uses, some forms of rural enterprise and nature based tourism. In these areas, the streetscape contribution to the overall preservation of the natural and productive farming landscape.

Rural streets are characterised by:

• Road side drainage swales;
• Verge areas which are typically grasses, but also in some areas containing prominent and connected areas of vegetation;
• Less formal rural fencing;
• Beyond the fencing, adjoining land that is predominantly natural or farming in character.

RURAL RESIDENTIAL

The rural residential streetscape coincides with areas that while still having some degree of rural character, include more visible elements of residential living on smaller plots of land. These streetscapes are typically located surrounding our town sites, acting as a transition between urban streetscapes and the rural streetscape environments.

Rural residential streets are characterised by:

• Road side drainage swales;
• Verge areas which are typically grasses, but may be managed more intensively by adjoining landowners compared to verge areas in rural streets;
• Verge areas which may comprise prominent and connected areas of vegetation;
• More formal rural fencing;
• Predominantly altered landscapes reflective of lifestyle land uses and smaller rural pursuits.

URBAN

The urban streetscape coincides with formally ordered areas which comprises a combination of built elements like footpaths, kerbing, frequent vehicle crossovers, frequent and maintained private gardens, organised street tree plantings, kerbing and formalised piped drainage. It includes the full range of highly visible residential land uses on smaller, compact plots. These streetscapes are found within town sites, and may include compatible non-residential land use including child care, medical and the like.

Urban streets are characterised by:

• Hard and soft landscaped areas;
• Organised street tree planting, to supplement the low levels of urban tree canopy;
• Significantly modified landscapes and streetscapes;
• Predominantly residential land use.
• Drainage Basins

Drainage basins are identified as any area of land where precipitation collects and drains off into a river, bay, water body or common outlet. There is a common misconception is that these areas form part of the streetscape as a garden function without understanding that the plantings of reeds and rushes serve a purpose and these basins are integral to our water management.

TOWN CENTRE

Town centre streetscapes support centres which are a community focal point for people, services, employment and leisure that are highly accessible and integrated within the surrounding urban streetscapes. These are often at the heart of town centres.

Town centre streets are characterised by:

• Heavily modified landscape and streetscape;
• Extensive infrastructure to support pedestrian movement, with formalised parking also provided along streets;
• Great diversity of land uses.

Why do Rural and Rural Residential Streetscapes not have the same infrastructure levels and services as Urban and Town Centre Streetscapes?

Rural  and Rural Residential streetscapes do not predominately have infrastructure such as parking, landscaped areas, pedestrian/cycle paths, drainage, seating, pedestrian crossings or lighting. Rather, they enhance the natural and prevailing rural landscape through predominantly presenting a road that, apart from the road surface and verge, is unaltered. This is important to underpin intended character.

Rural character is recognised as an important aspect of what our community value as part of the Shire. These support the identified themes within SJ 2050 such as ‘Natural Environment’ and a ‘Rural Lifestyle.’ This accounts for the simple nature of such streetscapes, to ensure the intended character is not spoilt by incompatibly designed streets.

Why is a diversity of Streetscapes important?

The Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale covers a vast area and landscape, and provides a wide range of housing settlements. This is part of an intended development pattern that seeks to provide contained urban areas separated by observable rural contexts. These values include:

Unique Character

Ensure the diversity of natural and cultural landscapes in the Shire continue to offer an array of unique experiences to visitors and communities, enhancing social cohesion and a shared sense of place.

Consolidated Urban Form
Promote urban consolidation by making better use of existing zoned land and infrastructure through better-quality infill redevelopment and rural living development.

Why are Street Trees important in all streetscapes?

The Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale manages a large number of Shire trees, to ensure the community can experience the range of economic, environmental, social and health benefits trees provide. These include:

• Providing cooler, greener, more comfortable access ways for walking and cycling;
• Improving air quality;
• Improving property values;
• Providing habitat for native fauna;
• Reducing urban heat island effect; and
• Enhancing the character of our suburbs.

Why is integrated water management important in current and future Urban and Town Centre Streetscapes?

In a drying climate, the importance of water management will become paramount as time progresses. The Shire’s Integrated Water Management Strategy, identifies that as development occurs within the urban and town centre areas, it provides opportunities to undertake innovative methods of collecting and managing water within the urban environments. In doing so, it is able to incorporate elements of the rural streetscape and water sensitive urban design to reduce the impact of the built form.

This is why we are seeing increased provision of rain gardens, drainage swales and ephemeral wetlands as a way of capturing, cleaning and filtering stormwater at the source to where it falls. This is an important part of the Shire’s integrated water management approach.

What services does the Shire offer for the different types of Streetscapes?

There is no specific uniform level of service in regards to the different streetscapes of the Shire. The Shire ensures that it addresses its responsibilities consistent with the Public Places and Local Government Property Local Law 2019.

For urban areas, the Shire has developed a Verge and Street Tree Policy and Guidelines which can be found here; https://www.sjshire.wa.gov.au/community/health-and-environment/trees/verge-and-street-trees.aspx .The Shire advocates a free mulch giveaway scheme where residents can collect free mulch from the transfer station to assist them in their verge maintenance

The Shire is also currently developing a Rural verge policy which is set to be taken to Council later this year.

Across the Shire, we have some 830km of road assets, and do rely on a shared responsibility with landowners in helping manage this large asset base. While the Shire (and local governments generally) do not have the resources available to maintain verges in front of private properties, it does seek to support adjoining landowners in maintaining their verge areas to acceptable levels. This is through providing education materials to residents, through constructing well designed infrastructure, and promoting verge tree subsidy programs and the like.

The Shire will take action on a verge in front of private property if it constitutes a significant sight-line hazard when at road intersections, or the slashing of drains and footpath edges if growth is causing obstruction to this infrastructure. The Shire has maintenance schedules for such works, but also welcomes residents reporting such action requests given the varying nature of vegetation growth that can occur across the district.

The Shire provide free verge herbicide (glyphosate biactive) to assist with managing weeds on residential verges. You can also contact us for advice on alternative methods of weed control.

We encourage our community to contact us if they have any problems with their surrounding streetscapes, trees, drains and or verges through the environmental services team on 9526 1111.