Dan Wilkie

Developers and builders are offering incentives over and above the state government’s first home buyers grant to stoke the market, as the number of grants paid falls to its lowest level in nearly two and a half years.

Proposed new fees for foreign buyers of real estate are looming as a potential impediment to offshore investment in Perth’s apartments sector, at the same time local developers are shifting their f

The City of Rockingham’s push for higher-density development along its coastal and CBD precincts is starting to pay dividends, with more than $100 million in residential projects under construction or approved to be built, which will collectively add more than 600 apartments, as well as two hotels.

Boxing champ Rai Fazio is creating an international rumble in the world of group fitness.

Demand for Western Australian agricultural property assets is expected to run hot throughout 2015, with offshore buyers not expected to be deterred by new rules for foreign investment in farmland.

Joondalup’s CBD is set to be transformed by a pair of major projects, including the suburb’s first high-rise building.

Two major projects considered vital to the revitalisation of Subiaco are closer to reality, with a 16-storey tower at the Pavilion Markets site to win planning approval and construction immin

Perth’s small bar revolution is expected to extend into the east end of the CBD, driven by a wave of major commercial and hotel developments.

Food and beverage operators are leading a revival for high street retail property, with Beaufort Street, Oxford Street and Albany Highway buzzing, and depressed centres Rokeby Road and Bay View Ter

New co-working area MineSpace is gearing up to open a portal designed to reduce costs and improve access to software for geoscience consultants and contractors.

Ninety-three per cent of the 260 liquor licence applications made in Western Australia since July 2007 have been approved, despite widespread industry condemnation over the amount of consideration

Development at Springs Rivervale is moving into overdrive, despite widespread debate over whether the area already has too many apartments.

A proposed venue is offering punters the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a F1 racing simulator, while another aims to give patrons the chance to electronically emulate world darts champion Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor, as Perth’s small bar scene gets increasingly diverse.

Premier Colin Barnett says the state government will turn its attention to expanding the boundaries of the City of Perth, after he conceded his plan to halve the number of local governments in the

Landscape architects are seeking to take advantage of a long-standing business model operating in the building sector to broaden their service offering and boost their bottom line.

A maturing Perth market has resulted in developers creating smaller lots and a wide range of new housing choices.

Significant hurdles remain in meeting both government and consumer demand for urban infill developments.

Population growth is slowing, but Perth is still expanding and the challenges of a maturing city mean land developers are in for another busy year. The annual Special Report also includes an updated list of WA's biggest land developers.

Perth's office market remains on solid footing despite a rising vacancy rate that’s forecast to peak at 19 per cent in 2016, with pundits saying the state’s strong economic fundamentals and a small construction pipeline past 2015 will bring balance back into the sector.

Hospitality operators are cashing in on Perth’s love affair with the coast, with seven new beachside venues opening in the past two years and more on the way – from Trigg Beach to Port Coogee.

Canning Bridge is firming to become Perth’s next big infill opportunity.

Perth's housing construction boom is fuelling a blowout in the number of properties available for lease, with the proliferation of apartments in particular prompting the state’s top real estate group to question whether developers and government policy were providing what residents want.

The state government has been urged to consider other measures to boost revenue rather than increasing property stamp duty, which has become a significant contributing factor in the stalling residential market, according to an influential local property player.

US-based ice-cream chain Ben & Jerry’s is gearing up to open its second bricks and mortar store in Perth, with the franchise to take the place of the Milk & Honey cafe on James Street in Northbridge.

Developers are keen to take advantage of new planning guidelines at Scarborough Beach, with the state government-backed $57.5 million revitalisation designed to encourage hundreds of millions of dollars worth of private sector investment.

Local governments are making little headway in hitting the state government’s goal that 47 per cent of new housing development be made in existing areas, according to a progress report on the planning framework, Directions 2031.

Singaporean investors are driving a flurry of offshore activity in Perth’s commercial, hotel and residential property sectors.

Final design works and construction valuations are under way for the long-awaited $70 million DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in Karratha, with building expected to begin before the middle of the year, albeit at a new location, in the Pilbara town’s CBD.

Construction on Chinese developer JianHe Jian Group’s $100 million residential and commercial project opposite Perth Zoo in South Perth is expected to begin later this month, after local builder JA

Woods Bagot has been ranked seventh in a list of the world’s top 100 architecture firms for the second consecutive year, with the company’s Perth studio emerging as one of its most strategically important.

Apartment developers are shrugging off concerns of oversupply in key markets, a slowing pre-sales environment and falling rental values, pushing on with plans for significant new projects, both in the CBD and suburban areas.