The proposed changes involve extending single house planning exemptions and increasing the powers of the state’s planning commission.
The state government says it will roll out more reforms to the state’s planning system, in a bid to speed up the delivery of homes.
Planning Minister John Carey today announced a suite of changes to the state’s planning regime, including extending exemptions for single housing.
Under the changes, the same planning exemptions that currently apply to single houses will apply to proposals for up to four dwellings.
The Western Australian Planning Commission will have greater powers to change, cancel or progress structure plans where necessary.
The government will also impose statutory timeframes on local governments, requiring them to respond to proponents applying for road and waterway designs within 28 days of receival.
This move was welcomed by industry, given these components are considered critical parts of the subdivision process.
Additionally, local and regional planning scheme amendments will be allowed to progress concurrently, in a bid to save up to 12 months.
The changes are part of a suite of reforms recently announced by the state government, which include revisions to R codes and increased density around specific train stations.
Announcing the changes at an Urban Development Institute of Australia WA event this morning, Minister Carey said the changes were aimed at accelerating the delivery of homes.
“By expanding opportunities to progress local and region scheme amendments concurrently, we will significantly reduce the time it takes to move from rezoning to subdivision and development,” he said.
“These changes could cut more than a year from planning timeframes and bring forward the delivery of new homes.”
Mr Carey added that the government was also pursuing exemptions and shorter approval timeframes for lower-risk residential developments.
“These reforms will further reduce the administrative burden on local governments, support best practice across the system and create greater consistency for applicants,” he said.
These reforms followed a recent Productivity Commission report that suggested a raft of changes to the nation’s planning system to diversify the delivery of housing.
The report states zoning changes slowing more three storey homes should occur, which would contribute to improvements in housing affordability.
