PERTH needs more residents, lord mayor Basil Zempilas says, and he’s hoping newly passed incentives will lure them in with cheaper rates and cut fees for housing developers.
Mr Zempilas raised the idea in July last year and the final suite of incentives was unanimously endorsed by councillors this week.
“[It] has been a stated aim of our City and us as a council to increase our residential population: 55,000 residents in the city by 2036, and 90,000 residents by 2050,” Mr Zempilas said at the May 30 meeting.
He said the measures would “turbo charge the residential population of our city”.
The incentives apply to the central Perth neighbourhood.
From July 2023 to June 2030, buyers of new properties get 50 per cent reimbursement on rates across three years, estimated to save about $1,000 a year.
Additionally all development application fees are waived for new residential buildings, as are fees for building and occupancy permits.
A developer building a 30-storey, $30m development would save about $400,000 under this scheme.
They’ll also spend $200,000 on a marketing campaign to show off the virtues of city living.
“Putting thousands of new residents on the doorstep of the city’s central facilities, businesses, and main attractions unlocks a wealth of opportunities,” Mr Zempilas said in a post-meeting press release.
“From the viability and growth of existing and new businesses, to streetscaping, greening and making our city a safer and more enjoyable place to live, work and play, increasing opportunities for city living goes to the heart of community aspirations for a thriving and vibrant capital city.”
The incentives don’t apply to the outer neighbourhoods like the quieter East Perth or West Perth wings for now, as Mr Zempilas said “our Central Perth neighbourhood [is] where we need most of the vibrancy in the short term”.
by DAVID BELL
Perth Voice Interactive 
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