Perth Voice Interactive

THE WA planning commission has openly conceded “unintended and undesirable” developments are happening because of its multiple dwellings rules.

When the new rules came through they allowed developers to build units in lower density areas like residential Mt Hawthorn and some old areas around Hyde Park (R30 for the zoning buffs).

The changes came about because of industry concerns there wasn’t enough wiggle room for affordable housing, flexible designs and diverse housing stock (eg, units, townhouses, villas) in established areas. The WA government’s also keen to get houses up, close to Perth and existing infrastructure, for all the people moving to the state over the next couple of decades.

With dollars in their eyes, developers rolled in to knock down single houses and put up a boatload of units despite cries of protest from neighbours, a cacophany familiar to any seasoned Voice reader.

The WAPC has now acknowledged the rules have had unintended consequences, allowing too much height and too much density in some areas where they shouldn’t be.

They’ve also led to unforeseen pressures on local services, parking jams and complaints the new units are often “out of character”.

The WAPC, the state’s supreme planning authority, is now making it tougher to stick unit blocks in less dense neighbourhoods and developments will require the same amount of open space on-site as regular houses, along with setbacks.

Amendments to address those concerns are out for public comment at http://www.planning.wa.gov.au/rcodes or at their HQ at 140 William Street, Perth.

While there’s often some backlash when a property owner proposes a three-storey whopper towering over neighbours, a local who spoke at a recent Vincent meeting reminded councillors there was an upside too. He said single-property prices were soaring and multiple dwellings were a cheaper way to live in the city.

“I personally would like my children to have the same opportunity to buy into the housing market as I did, instead of contribute to the urban sprawl.”

by DAVID BELL