THE R-CODES CONTINUE TO SERVE A PURPOSE, BUT THE SPEED OF CHANGE IS OUTPACING THE POLICY SETTINGS. THE WESTERN AUSTRALIAN PLANNING COMMISSION (WAPC) HAS ADVERTISED AMENDMENTS TO ADDRESS COMMUNITY CONCERNS ABOUT MULTIPLE DWELLING DEVELOPMENTS IN AREAS COMPRISING PREDOMINANTLY SINGLE DWELLING, SUCH AS PARKING OVERFLOW PROBLEMS.
The Residential Design Codes (R-Codes) control residential development in Western Australia through a sliding scale of development standards based on residential density. R-20 was the standard coding for many properties developed in the 1980s and 1990s but we are increasingly seeing R-30 detached housing with densities of R-60 becoming more common.
The R-Codes continue to serve a purpose, but the speed of change is outpacing the policy settings. The Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC) has advertised amendments to address community concerns about multiple dwelling developments in areas comprising predominantly single dwelling, such as parking overflow problems.
Ensuring the R-Codes meet the needs of a rapidly growing Perth is challenging and it is positive that the WAPC continues to revisit this important policy instrument. One of the areas that UDIA believes should be updated is single lot medium density residential development. The last five years has seen unprecedented levels of innovation in the urban development industry and R-Code variations are essential for lot frontages less than 10m wide and depths less than 30m. At the moment variations to the “Acceptable Development Provisions” of the R-Codes are required and these routine variations are adding unnecessary time and cost to approvals processes.
The demand for small lot product was driven by first home buyers and downsizers, with both groups looking for value-for-money outcomes. Initially the industry reduced the width of the lots with the “cottage lot” gaining enormous popularity between 2010 – 2013. Changes to lot widths were relatively simple to achieve without overall redesign of an area, allowing for flexibility.
Rear laneways to service parking access for narrow lots can be expensive as the development cost of the road infrastructure and the associated land needs to be factored into the overall cost of the lot. The industry has diversified further, introducing squarer “squat lots” to reduce construction costs and achieve new affordability thresholds.
The product today is increasingly front loaded and this is creating challenges for the existing R-Codes, which were not designed to accommodate development of this type. Challenges include the domination of garages in the streetscape and useable outdoor areas.
The introduction of a Residential Medium Density (R-MD) code could standardise the provisions for single lot medium density housing. This reform is an opportunity to save significant cost and time by streamlining approvals for medium density affordable housing. Housing 3.5 million people will have its challenges so we must continue to strive for innovative solutions.