Strata Reform Legislation hits parliament
The hotly anticipated Strata Titles Amendment Bill 2018 and Community Titles Bill 2018 were introduced to Parliament today. As UDIA has previously advised, the reform legislation will cover a broad range of strata-related issues, including introducing two new forms of land ownership – leasehold schemes and community schemes – which will provide new and more flexible frameworks for the delivery of mixed use and other strata developments.
The legislation will also provide more flexibility for staged subdivisions, improve strata management practices, simplify dispute resolution processes, improve information regarding strata schemes for buyers and implement rigorous safeguarding measures for the termination of schemes.
See our press release for more details here.
Meeting with Shadow Minister for Local Government
UDIA met with the Shadow Minister for Local Government Tony Krsticevic, MLA today to discuss issues related to the property industry. Items for discussion included the strategic planning for growth in the Perth and Peel region; the process and timing for community engagement in strategic planning; how best to achieve densification in the city and the need for improved precinct planning. UDIA also explained our position on performance reporting on planning matters by local government and outlined the importance of the strata title reforms.
NEW UDIA subcommittee on the SAPPR
UDIA WA has established a new subcommittee to provide insight and advice on the independent review of the Strategic Assessment of the Perth and Peel Region (SAPPR). Members of the independent review include UDIA National President Darren Cooper (Chair), Robyn Glindermann, expert in planning law; Ross Holt, economist and former senior public servant; and Professor Michael Poole, inaugural Chair of the WA Biodiversity Science Institute.
At their first meeting, the subcommittee confirmed that industry is supportive of the intent of the SAPPR, however considers that the scope has expanded to an unreasonable degree and it is critical that a funding model is clear before any agreement with the Commonwealth is pursued.
We will keep members up to date on progress.
Market-led Proposals Policy
The McGowan government has released a draft Market-led Proposals Policy for comment, which sets out a new process to enable the State Government to receive and evaluate unsolicited proposals from the private sector.
An MLP is a proposal from the private sector to government to build and/or finance infrastructure; provide goods or services; or to purchase a government-owned asset, where government has not requested the proposal.
The Policy outlines how the government will evaluate the merits of such proposals and determine whether it is in the public interest to enter exclusive negotiations with a proponent, rather than engaging in the usual competitive process.
A free stakeholder forum will be held at Dumas House on Wednesday 18 July 2018 at 10.30am. for more information about the forum and the comment period, visit the website here.
UDIA will make a submission on the MLP policy on behalf of members, please forward any feedback to policy@udiawa.com.au by 2 August.
Iconic Scarborough approved
Yesterday the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority (MRA) granted development approval for the revised development application for 3 Ocean’s Iconic Scarborough proposal. The proposal includes a 43 and 33 storey twin tower development on the former Contacio site in Scarborough.
The development includes a 119-room hotel, 314 residential apartments, with a total of 720 parking bays, convention centre, top floor art gallery café with public viewing area, lower level exhibition space and ground floor commercial tenancies.
UDIA WA welcomed the approval given it will set a high standard for future development in the Scarborough region and is a catalyst for much needed further private sector investment and regeneration in the Scarborough redevelopment area
Sale of Landgate rejected by state government
Following a scoping study to investigate options to realise value for the community from Landgate’s operations, the state government has decided not to proceed with the sale of Landgate, opting instead to commercialise a restricted part of Landgate’s automated functions.
The decision means Landgate’s automated land titling service will be commercialised. Pricing for services provided under the contract will be capped at CPI or CPI plus one per cent, meaning a new operator will be restricted in the prices it can charge customers during the term of the contract.
Landgate will continue to directly provide property valuation, location information and land titling functions that have not been automated.
UDIA hopes that the commercialisation of the automated land titling service will result in improved service levels and approval times and we’re pleased that a cap has been put on any increases to fees as we don’t want to see the cost of land or housing transfers go given the impact on affordability. Extra costs are a disincentive to people moving to more appropriate housing for their circumstances.
Alkimos Beach celebrates national win
The Lendlease and LandCorp team hosted a celebration event earlier this week in light of Alkimos Beach winning a 2017 UDIA State Award for Excellence and subsequently the recent National Award for Excellence for the best masterplanned development.
Anthony Rowbottam and Frank Marra thanked the their teams as well as UDIA and all the consultants and contractors that were part of delivering the project which commenced back in 2009.
Congratulations again to the Alkimos Beach team for providing such a fantastic example of what can be achieved in our new communities.
The Importance of Greenfield Development: Shire of Augusta-Margaret River Workshop, The Towns and Villages of the Future
UDIA provided a presentation on understanding the importance of greenfield development to a wide range of stakeholders at a workshop hosted by the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River on Monday. The workshop forms part of a series of events examining land use planning options as part of the preparation of a revised local planning strategy and scheme. UDIA’s presentation highlighted the importance of maintaining a suitable supply of greenfield land to ensure housing affordability. A copy of UDIA’s presentation is available here.
Westport information sessions open to the community
A series of community information sessions will take place throughout July for those wanting to learn more about the Westport Strategy.
The six interactive sessions will be held in Fremantle, Kwinana and Bunbury and will cover the land use, transport, environmental and economic issues being considered in the development of the strategy.
The sessions will build on previous feedback provided by the community, which is summarised in the consultation report ‘Westport: What you have told us’. All feedback received at the sessions will be used to inform the next discussion paper, which will be released for comment later this year.
Once complete, the Westport Strategy will plan solutions for port and freight related transport issues in Western Australia to meet the needs and expectations of the community and industry into the future.
Details of the location and timing for each information session are available on the Department of Transport’s website here.
Feedback requested: Planning Reform Green Paper
UDIA is working on a submission to address the key recommendations outlined in the Planning Reform Green Paper – Modernising Western Australia’s Planning System.
Submissions close on Friday 20 July. If you would like your feedback incorporated into UDIA’s submission, please forward comments to policy@udiawa.com.au
Urban Intelligence survey
UDIA is undertaking a review of the information and format of our monthly Urban Intelligence Report to ensure it includes the most relevant and useful information in the best possible format.
Contribute your thoughts on the report by completing the Urban Intelligence Member Survey, available here or by clicking on the button below: We appreciate you taking a couple of minutes to support the development of UDIA’s research agenda.
Fraud Awareness Session hosted by Macquarie Bank
UDIA is running a free member briefing on Fraud Awareness in August facilitated by Macquarie Bank.
Reducing risk exposure to fraud across your business is a vital activity. We all have the responsibility to remain vigilant to the potential threats and likely exposure to fraud, faced by our business and our clients.
Recently, there has been a significant increase in attempts to de-fraud businesses using new and sophisticated methods, such as malware and client email compromises.
Jonathan Martin, Fraud Investigations Specialist Macquarie Banking Financial Services will be delivering an informative session that will update you on the current fraud trends that can affect your business (as well as your own personal life) and how best to mitigate the risks by following correct procedures and avoiding potential losses.
Date: Wednesday 1st August 2018
Time: 12.00pm – 1.00pm
Location: Ground Floor, 235 St Georges Terrace, Perth, WA 6000
This session is free of charge for all UDIA WA members, but places are limited and RSVPs are essential by Friday 20th July. Registration form can be downloaded here.
Confirm your place by emailing events@udiawa.com.au
Australia could experience surge in electric vehicles
The Clean Energy Finance Corp and ARENA have commissioned energy specialist Energeia to assess Australia’s EV market, and examine measures to accelerate the uptake of EVs, and the associated requirements for vehicle charging infrastructure.
The report suggests that electric vehicles could represent 90 percent of all cars and light commercial vehicles on Australian roads by 2050 if the industry was supported by $1.7 billion in private investment in new charging infrastructure.
Their modelling forecasts a surge in electric vehicle (EV) sales from as early as 2021, based on the right combination of incentives, models and infrastructure. It also finds that, on current trends, EVs could have the same driving range capabilities as diesel or petrol-fuelled cars by 2024, addressing one of the biggest consumer concerns about EVs.
Energeia found that Australia currently has very low EV penetration compared with other advanced economies. Only 0.1 per cent of new car sales in Australia are EVs, behind the United States at 0.9 per cent, the United Kingdom at 1.4 per cent and well behind global leaders such as California at three per cent, the Netherlands at 6.4 per cent and Norway at 29 per cent.
Full report can be found here.