Call for Public Submission on Bee Keeping Local Law 2016

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Call for Public Submission on Proposed Bee Keeping Local Law 2016

The City is in the process of updating its local laws. Many were made in 1999, and were contemporary in their day, but require updating to the point where replacement in many instances is warranted.

It is proposed to make a Bee Keeping Local Law to replace Section 37 (Part 6) of the City’s Animals Local Law 1999 which deals with bees as some legislative change has occurred in this area, but the City is still required to regulate certain areas of the keeping and maintaining of bees that legislation does not cover.

The proposed draft Bee Keeping Local Law was adopted by Council at its meeting held on 1 March 2016 for the purposes of public advertising and the submission period closed on 13 May 2016. Four submissions were received from members of the public. A report was presented to the 7 June 2016 Council Forum where Elected Members expressed concerns that the proposed draft local law was too restrictive. Administration further investigated the provisions of the proposed draft local law and incorporated the public submissions and Elected Members’ feedback into an updated version.

The major change from the previous version is in section 2.1(2), which in summary provides that a person (who must be a registered beekeeper) may keep bees on any land except that zoned residential without the need to obtain a permit from the City providing that: 

• Before establishing the bee hives on the land, the occupier of the land notifies, in writing, the occupier of each property adjoining the land that the bee hives are to be kept;
• Each bee hive is kept at least 10 metres from any thoroughfare (including a footpath) or public place and at least 5 metres from any other boundary of the land; and
• Bees from the bee hives do not become a nuisance.

With respect to land zoned residential, the same applies, except that a person may only keep up to two hives without obtaining a permit.

Comments can be emailed to enquiries@wanneroo.wa.gov.au, mailed to the Chief Executive Officer, City of Wanneroo, Locked Bag 1, WANNEROO WA 6946, or made in person at the City of Wanneroo, Administrative Centre, 23 Dundebar Road, Wanneroo.