Implementing the Perth and Peel @ 3.5 million frameworks

The Perth and Peel @ 3.5 million sub regional frameworks were the focus of intent discussion at a UDIA Industry Breakfast yesterday morning attended by over 350 guests. Guest speaker, Director General of the Department of Planning; Lands and Heritage Gail McGowan, outlined the plans and what are the next steps.

UDIA has been focussed on drilling down to how the state government will practically implement the frameworks and how they are to be used by local government in achieving the set targets.  In that regard, UDIA has also established a special advisory group to study the frameworks in more detail over the coming months and identify issues and solutions.

The panel discussion, including some excellent insight from local and state government representatives and private industry, touched on the need to move from a policy and regulation focused system, back to a plan led system, including neighbourhood and precinct plans that provide a clear outline of what is expected in an area and how it will be achieved.

Early community engagement and getting local residents on board with plans for an area is also important. Local residents need to know what they can expect and how greater densities might improve or add value to their area.

The importance of greenfield development to the future of urban growth and getting the balance between infill and greenfield was also discussed, with Chair or the WAPC David Caddy acknowledging there was a possibility that private industry could be given the opportunity to lead investigation areas in some cases.

Critical infrastructure planning and provision was also addressed by the panel and the need to understand the current capacity of infrastructure in certain areas and what will be required to accommodate higher densities.

Panelists included Gail McGowan, Megan Adair, Ian Cowie, Craig Shepherd, David Caddy, Ray Stokes and Paul Lakey.

Thank you to our valued sponsors Eco Logical Australia, Harley Dykstra and Western Power.

UDIA’s media release can be found here for more details on our perspective.

The frameworks documentation can be found here.

Alternative Materials Resource Project: update

UDIA has been working to progress a research project that will investigate where there is a cost benefit to using alternative materials and construction methods in the delivery of new land and housing.

Our steering committee for the project met last week and confirmed that the project will proceed and UDIA has appointed Ernst and Young to conduct the research.

The research will include a desktop study, interviews with a range of land developers, builders and suppliers, surveys of the public and other stakeholders and a cost benefit analysis for specified housing types.

It’s expected that a final report will be produced by the end of the year and members will be kept up to date on progress.

SAPPR Review

As members will be aware, UDIA has established a sub-committee to prepare a representative submission to the Strategic Assessment of Perth and Peel Review panel.  UDIA will also be facilitating meetings over the coming weeks between the panel and our subcommittee and other UDIA members.

Infrastructure transparency and accountability

Infrastructure Australia has released new guidelines that are aimed to drive greater transparency and accountability in infrastructure decision-making and reduce instances of major projects receiving funding before appropriate planning and assessment have been released.

UDIA National welcomed the move, stating that the guidelines should become the benchmark for all future infrastructure investment in Australia, with the consistent application of the principles included stripping the politics out of infrastructure delivery, building public confidence, and ensuring infrastructure investment delivers maximum benefit to our growing population.

Infrastructure Australia says they want to ensure that community needs are properly understood, all options considered and communities consulted before projects are committed. This should include making better use of existing infrastructure by deploying new technologies or utilising the data we’re already collecting.

More details on the guidelines can be found here.

Migration highlighted as key to Perth’s growth

Population growth was in the spotlight last week with Australia’s population set to tip 25 million people next month.  Some senior commentators and politicians were calling for a moratorium on migration due to infrastructure capacity concerns in particular.

UDIA has argued that concerns regarding migration are simplistic, with the contribution that migrants make to economic growth clearly measurable.

In fact, recent ABS statistics reveal that over half of permanent migrants to Australia are homeowners. Which is clear evidence of the importance of encouraging more people to migrate to WA to boost the economy and assist in the housing market recovery.

UDIA CEO Allison Hailes featured on ABC news radio over the weekend, discussing the issue and calling for the state government to work with the federal government to establish a positive migrant settlement strategy that focuses on attracting and retaining people in WA.

Our media release provides more details here.

Get involved with UDIA submissions

UDIA provides submissions on a range of issues to represent members interests.  We welcome feedback that can be incorporated into our submissions. Please email policy@udiawa.com.au for more information or to provide comment on any of the below:

  • Swan Valley planning review. Submissions close 30 August. More information can be found here.
  • Market-led Proposals Policy. Submissions close 9 August. More information can be found here.
  • Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 – Biodiversity Conservation Regulations. More information here. Feedback on the Ministerial Guidelines closes 30 September and initial comments on the discussion notes are being sought from stakeholder reference groups by 31 July 2018.

City of Stirling: Design Review Panel

Ten representatives with experience in the areas of urban design, architecture, landscape design, planning, sustainability and heritage are being sought by the City of Stirling to join the City’s new Design Review Panel.  The panel will act in an advisory role in the delivery of development in the City.

More information on the nomination process can be found here.

Regional WA has not faired well in the latest figures from Core Logic RP Data, with their research into hosuing values over the last decade reflecting that the regions in Australia in which house values have recorded the largest declines over the past decade were Outback (North) in WA (-38.3%) followed by Outback (South) in WA.

Not surprisingly, the areas experiencing the highest growth in house values were predominantly Sydney and some in Melbourne.

According to RP Data, national dwelling values have increased by a cumulative 43.9%.

More details can be found here.

Housing values in WA decline over decade
Regional WA has not fared well in the latest figures from Core Logic RP Data, with their research into housing values over the last decade reflecting that the regions in Australia in which house values have recorded the largest declines over the past decade were Outback (North) in WA (-38.3%) followed by Outback (South) in WA.

More info here.

Do you need CPD Points?

Don’t forget that UDIA WA is registered & authorised to provide REBA CPD points for some of our events. If you need points, and have attended UDIA WA events this year, please contact events@udiawa.com.au to determine how many points you may be eligible to claim.

On an on-going basis, UDIA WA is committed to offering members and event attendees as much value as possible, so we continue to submit all of our events to REBA for review in the hope of obtaining as many points as possible.

Last chance! Women in Leadership and Young Development Professional Awards close Monday

Nominations for both the UDIA and Frasers Property Women in Leadership Award and the UDIA Stockland Young Development Professional award for 2018 close this Monday 30 July.

We encourage eligible parties to nominate and make the most of these opportunities to participate in fantastic professional development and networking events.  As well as receive much deserved recognition among industry peers at the UDIA Awards for Excellence Gala Dinner.

More information and forms can be found here for Women in Leadership and here for the Young Development Professional award.