Industry Issues
Landgate plan examination priority changes
Landgate has revised its prioritisation of plan types for examination, in consultation with industry, to better support the WA Government’s commitment to increasing housing supply through efficient processing of plans and new titles. The new plan priority categories are effective immediately and are outlined in the updated SPP-18 Plan Examination Procedures.
The key changes are the introduction of a Very High Priority category for any plan that is ready for new titles, and built strata plans with 50 or more lots. The revised High Priority category now includes built strata plans (2-49 lots) and Special Survey Area deposited plans.
You can view further detail here.
Perth’s 2026 Greenfield Market update
We were delighted to host close to 500 guests on Friday 15 May for our Industry lunch with Research4 Director Colin Keane as he shared his latest insights into Perth’s Greenfield Market.
Against a small decline nationally, marked by ongoing constrained land-supply, Colin highlighted Perth’s position as one of the leading greenfield markets in Australia with sales across Perth accounting for 25% of the national greenfield market, second only to Melbourne. Colin also noted that housing demand from temporary residents continues to moderate against sustained levels of underlying demand from permanent residents.
As Perth’s urban infill market continues to mature and provide greater housing choice to buyers, Colin expects greenfield sales to decline from 50% of total housing sales, closer in line with the national average over the coming years.
Colin noted that Perth has a strong “brand” reflected by a sustained increase in net interstate migration into Western Australia above pre-COVID numbers. Underscoring the need to lift capacity across the sector, Colin highlighted the tight supply that is driving up new land prices, with ongoing demand expected to continue to put upward pressure on prices.
Despite capacity and supply constraints, Colin maintains that Perth is Australia’s most affordable greenfield market. Experiencing the smallest median price growth nationally, Colin believes that new land in WA is currently undervalued relative to cost of established homes in Perth.
Colin was joined by Nigel Satterley (Satterley Property Group) and Tamara Vreeken (Niche Planning Studio) for a detailed panel discussion further exploring the challenges in delivering land to market, ongoing affordability challenges and opportunities in the Perth market.
In light of Perth’s continued elevated demand, the panel discussion centred on optimising housing delivery across WA – emphasising the need for a coordinated approach to approvals and the delivery of key infrastructure. While the impact of recent changes to property tax related settings including negative gearing and CGT announced by the Federal Government are yet to be seen, there is an expectation that we will see higher levels of investor activity in the greenfield market over the longer term, further pushing up demand.
The panel also noted the detrimental impact protracted construction timelines will have on affordability, suggesting further incentives to skilled migration could accelerate housing delivery.
Thank you to Industry Partner Origin Energy, Technology Partner nbn Australia, Event Sponsors Mirvac and Offsite, and Networking Sponsor Douglas Partners for their support of Friday’s lunch.
View photos from Friday’s lunch.
Streamlined Approvals via SAPs
The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) has introduced a Standardised Approvals Pathway (SAP) for Schedule 1 prescribed premises categories assessed as low risk, as part of Western Australia’s broader push to modernise environmental approvals.
Under the Environmental Protection Act 1986, certain activities – known as prescribed premises – require a works approval for construction and/or licence for operation. These activities are defined in Schedule 1 of the Environmental Protection Regulations 1987, which captures industries with the potential to cause emissions or environmental harm. While residential development projects will not directly benefit from the pathway, it applies to associated activities such as earthworks and Basic Raw Material (BRM) activities including large-scale extraction, stockpiling and handling of soil, sand and other BRMs that may generate emissions.
The SAP for selected low‑risk Schedule 1 categories introduces a risk-based approach that replaces the more time‑consuming case‑by‑case assessments. For proponents, this means clearer application requirements, standardised approval conditions, and faster, more predictable determination timeframes. In practical terms, this can reduce delays where environmental approvals intersect with land development or construction schedules.
For the development sector, there will be indirect benefits including:
- Reduced approval uncertainty when projects involve supporting infrastructure
- Shorter lead times for enabling works linked to waste or materials management
Overall, the SAP is designed to remove bottlenecks in routine approvals, allowing DWER to focus effort on more complex proposals. This supports the State’s broader approvals reform agenda to streamline processes while maintaining strong environmental protections.
UDIA WA Online Research & Insights Portal now available for members
Our brand new Research & Insights Portal has been designed as a ‘one stop shop’ for UDIA WA members to access the latest property and economic data produced and/or curated by UDIA WA & our research partners.
The first phase of the portal is a new Residential Development Dashboard, that provides access to headline data and detailed charts from all your favourite UDIA research publications including the weekly Land Snapshot, monthly Urban Intelligence, and quarterly Urban Development Index.
The new Dashboard is essentially our Research ‘shop window’ and is available to view freely on the UDIA WA website. However, to drill down further into the Dashboard and access more detailed graphs, charts and infographics requires a member log-in to access content such as:
- Residential Development Dashboard
- UDIA WA Weekly Land Snapshot
- Residential Subdivision Approvals
- Population Growth
Having now completed the first phase of the portal, the UDIA WA Research Team is now embarking on the build out of other components that will include a broader array of research resources including feature articles, research reports and other analytical outputs and insights.
We look forward to delivering the next phases of the portal build-out, and warmly welcome member feedback on the current content and functionality.
Feedback can be directed to UDIA WA Head of Research Toby Adams at tadams@udiawa.com.au.
Access the UDIA WA Research & Insights Portal.
Note: A member login is required to view the data from the Research & Market Insights Portal. For any queries regarding member logins, please email Chris Thurmott at membership@udiawa.com.au.
Expressions of Interest now open for Rockingham infill development
The Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage (DPLH) are seeking Expressions of Interest (EOI) to develop 18 hectares of State owned land in Rockingham.
The infill opportunity, released under the Market‑led Proposals Policy, seeks experienced developers to deliver high‑quality, well‑connected homes and amenities in Rockingham to meet current and project population growth for the sub-region. The EOI seeks proposals focused on providing housing for defence workers and their families, while also accelerating housing supply and identifying opportunities for social and affordable housing options.
Submissions close at 4pm Friday 3 July.
For more information, including submission requirements and timelines, visit Tenders WA.
Create your Award-Winning Entry!
There is just under one month left to nominate a project, leader or team for the 2026 UDIA WA Awards for Excellence program! Providing the ultimate opportunity to showcase the incredible efforts of the development industry in Western Australia there are 13 project categories, and five individual and team categories to choose from.
Follow the five steps below and nominate today to be recognised for the impact you bring to WA’s development industry.
Five steps to submitting your entry:
- Step One: Download the nominations kit. Review the categories and eligibility criteria to select the right fit for your entry. There are 13 project categories and five individual or team categories.
- Step Two: Log in to Awards Force. Visit the Awards Force online portal to begin your submission. If you have any questions reach out to events@udiawa.com.au!
- Step Three: Engage your network. Encourage those around you to nominate for a consultant or leadership category including Women in Leadership, Young Leader, Team of the Year, Diversity in Development or Local Government Authority of the Year
- Step Four: Submit your nominations and stay updated. Submit your nominations before the close date of 19 June 2026. We will keep you informed of the judging process and when finalists are announced.
- Step Five: Find out who wins! Save the date for Saturday 12 September UDIA WA Awards for Excellence Gala Dinner. Tickets will be on sale very soon!
View more information about the 2026 Awards for Excellence.
Registrations are now also open for the UDIA WA Awards for Excellence Gala Dinner on 12 September! Make sure you book your tickets here.
Thank you to our 2026 Sponsors for their support of the UDIA WA Awards for Excellence program; Platinum Sponsor Western Australian Planning Commission; Gold Sponsors Lavan and Stantec; Category Sponsors ATCO, CTF, Densford Civil, Fibrenet, Longreach Recruitment, Origin Energy, Purple, SLICK, Stockland, Structerre Consulting, TBB Planning and Wormall Civil Pty Ltd; Photobooth Sponsor Skyfields by Perth Airport; and Event Partner Lux Events.
Development Opportunities in Wellard
The State Government has announced the release of three development sites located near the Wellard METRONET station with the capacity to support up to 200 dwellings.
Lots available:
- Lot 210, Twickenham Parade. Zoned R80/Mixed use (7,347sqm);
- Lot 543, Runnymede Gate. Zoned for residential development, supporting medium to high-density (8,569sqm);
- Lot 536, Twickenham Parade. Zoned for residential development.
Offers close at 4pm Friday 19 June 2026.
Visit DevelopmentWA for more information.
State Government “Pattern Book” to cut red-tape
The State Government is developing an architect-designed Western Australian pattern book aimed at cutting red tape and accelerating infill housing delivery.
Successfully implemented elsewhere in Australia, the pattern book will be supported by a $2 million investment over two years and will feature ready-to-use designs suited to common infill lot sizes with a focus on medium density housing.
The pattern book is designed to simultaneously streamline planning approvals while also reducing time spent preparing designs. Featuring pre-assessed designs that comply with standards for energy efficiency, universal access and climate-resilient construction, the initiative is aimed at supporting residential development in well-connected locations, including near Metronet station precincts.
NSW have introduced a Housing Pattern Book, to view information on the NSW guide, visit here.
National Update
Federal Budget Wins
UDIA had many wins in the Federal Budget, with a number of pro-housing measures included despite destabilising negative gearing and CGT changes that risk rental affordability.
Negative Gearing and CGT changes do not change for new housing but are at the expense of renters. Existing housing cannot be used for future rental demand without substantial penalties and the impacts are:
- Rents inevitably rise in the medium term (new housing is comparatively more expensive) and this will be accelerated if new housing rental supply cannot match rental demand (ie impacted by investor behaviour + supply capacity/affordability).
- Renters will be increasingly locked out of inner-city areas over time (rentals [new and existing] will fall out of the rental pool).
- Investors (renters) increasingly compete with First Home Buyers.
Specific pro-housing wins recommended by UDIA include:
- $2bn in grants for enabling infrastructure to unlock housing
- Incentivising fast-track planning, zoning and unified NCC – To access this funding, further planning, zoning and productivity reforms will be required of states and territories. In line with UDIA proposals, this includes faster and simpler approvals, making more land available and ready to build homes, and a simpler National Construction Code
- $85.2 million to accelerate skills assessments for migrant trades workers and to accelerate occupational licensing, making it faster to enter the workforce
- The Government is also reforming the permanent migration points test to select better educated, higher-skilled and younger migrants.
- $500 million to implement approval reforms including funding more fast-tracking of:
- environmental bi-lateral agreements with states ensuring state & federal assessments can be combined into one approval process.
- bioregional planning to provide industry with certainty on requirements for approvals.
- Strategic Assessments