Local councils say new planning laws will make them "almost irrelevant", with the McGowan government reducing their control over the look of suburbs and towns across Perth and WA.
The government announced major reforms on Wednesday that would hand greater powers to centralised administrative panels to consider the approval of property development.
Premier Mark McGowan argued the proposal would help deliver more housing at more affordable prices by circumventing "anti-development" councils.
But local councillors, and the WA Local Government Association (WALGA), said a better balance needed to be struck.
"Its taken away local decision making," WALGA president Karen Chappel said.
"It is the role of local government to represent the views of its members. It's called local government for a reason.
"What has been suggested, that is going to be happening going forward, [is decisions will be made] without local government having a say in what is going to happen in their communities.
"It's just not fair to communities."
Planning Minister Rita Saffioti, who is responsible for the reforms, said local governments still had an important role to play by preparing and updating local planning schemes.
"And the scheme in a sense is sort of the blueprint of how the area will be developed, what should be rezoned or not rezoned, and so councils continue to have that key role," she told ABC Radio Perth.
"And in that role they need to determine where they want some density, and when they don't.
"When councils do that well then we can deliver density really well."
Ms Saffioti said delivering more housing density to help alleviate a shortage of homes was a key reason for the reforms.
"This is another way to try and support more housing, more infill, and basically ensure we have more homes for future generations, people wanting to downsize. We just, we need more housing," she said.
More to come.
Mark McGowan and WA councils at odds over major property development reforms - ABC News
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