Emily Piesse

Eight months after revealing plans to build a remote operations centre at Perth Airport, iron ore giant Rio Tinto has signed a deal to lease 6,000 square metres of space at the emerging office park.

Increased building activity in Perth's suburbs will create more than 400,000 square metres of new office space over the coming years, as more tenants are pushed out of the traditional CBD and West Perth markets by record low vacancy rates.

Diploma Properties has joined the ranks of WA developers capitalising on the demand for apartments along Rockingham's waterfront, with plans to launch a new project later this year.

Property developers in Western Australia are likely to face higher costs for water connections to projects in regional areas if changes to developer contributions, put to the state government by the Economic Regulation Authority, are adopted.

It's a matter of debate among those in the building industry as to how far construction costs will rise during the next year, but the consensus is that the double digit increases of the past few years will continue.

The development of Coral Bay has been stalled for the past few decades, but the wheels of change have now started to turn, with site works for a village housing up to 400 people due to start in the near future.

A draft policy to reform the way contributions for social infrastructure are sourced from residential property developers has generated mixed responses from the industry, with submissions from the Property Council of Australia (WA) and Satterley Property

As the slowdown in Western Australia's housing sector continues, the number of properties for sale in the South West is rising, along with lead times on sales.

High density development may be top of the state government's planning agenda, but the target for infill in Perth is overly ambitious and needs to be significantly downgraded, with the city likely to fall short 131,000 dwellings, according to a report fro

More than a month after the Varanus Island gas explosion forced businesses across WA to curtail their activity, the state's building industry is continuing its operations relatively unscathed.

Design guidelines for high-density housing in Western Australia are in the process of being overhauled by the state government, with a new residential design code in the pipeline and a review of the R-codes scheme due to commence.

The federal government has flagged changes to its skilled migration program, including the temporary 457 visa, which it says will give the states greater control in recruiting overseas workers.

Perth's rental market for houses and units has experienced the strongest growth of any capital city over the past year, according to data from Australian Property Monitors.

Employers should be encouraged to recruit more overseas workers as permanent migrants, rather than relying on 457 visas, and a state-based approach to migration should be adopted, according to Immigration Minister Chris Evans.

Changes to legislation governing land sales may soon prevent developers from pre-selling lots unless conditional approval of the sale is secured.

A new system for calculating developer contributions to the Water Corporation may be introduced by the state government, if recommendations by the WA Economic Regulation Authority are adopted.

The ongoing stand-off between the City of Subiaco and the Subiaco Redevelopment Authority over the old China Green site has worsened, with the former planning to appeal to Premier Alan Carpenter to intervene on the issue.

Ambitious plans for two new apartment projects in North Fremantle will have to be substantially revised, after a height study commissioned by the City of Fremantle found the developments would not produce a desirable outcome.

For Perth's hotel operators, the current market is something of a mixed blessing.

The renovation and redevelopment of St John of God Health Care's Subiaco hospital building has won BGC Construction the top prize in the annual Master Builders Association (WA) awards.

It's widely acknowledged in the housing industry that first homebuyer activity underpins the overall market, but with rising interest rates and strong price growth, many buyers have been forced out of the market.

Working in the legal profession can be an unforgiving lifestyle for those at the top, especially when it comes to spending time with family, but it's a reality Ken Jagger has turned into a business opportunity.

Eight months after it bought the site for $70 million, Goodman International Ltd has signed US-based drilling services company, Boart Longyear Ltd, as the anchor tenant for its Stockyards Industrial Estate in Hazelmere.

Despite several delays and tussles between stakeholders, a new 75-bed hospital for Vasse in the Busselton region is set to go ahead, with the architectural tender having been awarded to joint venture team, Bateman Grundmann Wilson Architects and Woodhead.

New laws to reform the 457 visa program are expected to increase costs for employers and make the system more difficult to use, according to some industry groups and migration consultants.

Belmont is set to become the new epicentre of Perth's suburban office market, if a proposed 22,000 square metre development by industrial land developer, Nedlands-based Benchmark Properties, is approved by the city's council.

Ten years after it began serving espressos to shoppers on King Street, Cino to Go has closed the doors on its landmark store, having failed to negotiate a renewal of its lease.

Luxury hotel operator Stamford Land Corporation Ltd has announced it will begin construction of a $140 million, 13-level office tower at 905 Hay Street this month, with the building contract for the project having been awarded to Diploma Constructions (WA

The University of Notre Dame Australia has announced its chancellor, Hon Justice Neville Owen, has resigned from the position, to be replaced by Dr Michael Quinlan for an 18-month term.

Perth is the only capital city to have posted a fall in house prices in the year to May, defying a flat national trend, according to data released today.

The $25 million restoration of St Mary's Cathedral is on track for completion next year, but the Catholic Church hopes it is just the beginning of a major redevelopment of the area that could lead to a mixed retail, office and residential precinct leading

Mining engineering students at Curtin University's Bentley campus and the Kalgoorlie-based Western Australian School of Mines may soon be able to access lectures remotely and course content from interstate universities, if a plan to roll out high bandwidt