Dan Wilkie

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.

The next stage of LandCorp’s Claremont on the Park has been unveiled, with developer Mirvac Group launching sales for a luxury 142 apartment project today.

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.

Sydney-based networking group Innovation Bay is expanding to Perth, aiming to give technology entrepreneurs a new pathway to attract seed capital from angel investors.

Commercial rents in the Perth CBD have been tipped to fall by 9.4 per cent over the next 12 months, with the Western Australian capital one of only two major Australian cities to experience a contraction in office rental values.

A surprise fall in home loan approvals in November shows the national housing market is starting to moderate and a rate cut should be on the cards early in 2015, according to the Real Estate Institute of Australia.

Eastern states-based Asian street food vendor Bing Boy has opened its first outlet in Western Australia, one of 10 new stores the chain is planning over the next two years.

Apartment developers are increasingly being forced to sweeten their offering as increased supply turns the off-the-plan market largely in favour of prospective buyers.

An innovative joint venture in Success led by the Department of Housing has provided a potential roadmap for the rollout of affordable apartments in the Perth metropolitan area.

Perth-based residential rentals-dedicated website rent.com.au is going public, unveiling a $10 million-plus plan to list on the Australian Securities Exchange via a backdoor listing through Select

Department store chain Kmart is set to move its Western Australian distribution centre from Canning Vale to Jandakot, with plans in motion to establish a $40 million facility at Jandakot Airport.

Craft brewers are maintaining WA’s reputation as the premier beer-making state in Australia, but the challenges they face are as diverse as the breweries themselves.

Two major retail redevelopment projects in Cannington will move closer to construction later this week, with regulatory approval expected for a $235 million expansion of Westfield Carousel and a $2

The past 12 months have been bleak for office developers in Perth, but one major player says there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

The state opposition claims the MAX Light Rail project is doomed, after a Parliamentary Estimates hearing was today told the government was considering constructing an underground rail line to service the same transport corridor.

Curtin University’s plan to make its Bentley campus much more than just an institute of higher learning is gaining momentum.

The office building at 220 St Georges Terrace has been sold for $35 million, with a local private buyer purchasing the building in a deal brokered by commercial agency Knight Frank.

Geraldton-based builder Serena Guidice has become the first ever woman to be named National Young Builder of the Year by the Master Builders Association.

Western Australia’s biggest homebuilder and the state’s most prolific land developer say the heat has come out of the new house and land market, with home buyers set to reap the rewards of an affordability breakthrough over the next 12 months.