Today’s announcement by the Minister for Planning that a ‘reform team’ will be established within the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage to deliver improvements to WA’s planning system could improve housing affordability in the state.
“UDIA has been highlighting the critical need for a more strategic and streamlined planning system in Western Australia to address housing affordability and land supply issues for some time,” UDIA WA CEO Allison Hailes said.
“Delays, uncertainty and duplications in the current system mean that timeframes are blown out and the price of land and housing to the end consumer gets pushed up,” Ms Hailes said.
“UDIA is pleased to see that a number of reforms that the Institute has been advocating for have been included in the planning reform team’s terms of reference,” Ms Hailes said.
“Some of the key issues from our perspective include the need for clarification of local and state planning roles and functions of relevant departments,” Ms Hailes said. “Duplications and a lack of clarity with regard to roles and responsibilities mean that developers are often dealing with multiple agencies and contradictory advice and decisions from government bureaucrats.”
“This can add years to the development process,” Ms Hailes said.
“Creating more certainty for industry, reviewing the developer contributions system and cutting red tape is also high on our list of priorities,” Ms Hailes said. “Government processes and policy are a significant cost burden so making the system more efficient is good news for those looking to purchase a new home in terms of the end price.”
“It is encouraging to see that the McGowan government is prioritising a more strategic and streamlined planning system as this will benefit all involved in property,” Ms Hailes said.
Ends.
For more information:
Gemma Osiejak
UDIA WA Executive Manager Communications & Marketing
M: 0421 506 819