Two multi-million-dollar developments in the western suburbs received the green light, including a four-storey Dalkeith build that had been refused twice by an assessment panel.
The Metro Inner Development Assessment Panel approved two proposed dwellings, on Cooper Street in Nedlands and on Alexander Road in Dalkeith, at its meeting on Wednesday.
Four out of five panel members voted to approve Spinnaker Developments’ $6 million proposal to build a two-storey, ten grouped dwelling at 32-34 Cooper Street.
The panel also approved Universal United Investments’ plan to build a four-storey, five apartment building on 6 Alexander Road, also estimated to cost $6 million.
Universal United Investments is owned by Leederville entity Li Family Investment Holdings and Hong Kong-based Chun Li and Fei Chan, according to Australian Securities and Investments Commission.
The panel’s recent approval was third time lucky for Universal United, after its proposal was rejected by the DAP twice in 2025 over the design being inconsistent with the surrounding area.
After the applicant sought a State Administrative Tribunal review, the project was amended to increase setbacks and returned to the DAP for a reconsideration.
Several members of the community remained opposed to the development despite the amendments.
Dalkeith resident Rex Hubbard said Alexander Road was and should remain as a predominantly two-storey area for decades.
“Overshadowing of the southern neighbour is almost entirely caused by the third storey – the fourth is just salt on a vicious wound,” he said at the meeting.
“The three design iterations over the past 10 months of this DAP and SAT saga, no effort has been made to change the third storey’s footprint to change overshadowing.”
DAP specialist member Luigi D'Alessandro acknowledged the adjoining residents’ concerns but said the proposal was compliant with the local planning codes.
“The area is in transition, it has gone from R10 to R40 to R60 to R80,” he said at the meeting.
“I do understand the issue with the overshadowing, [but] the applicant has minimised as much as they can.”
At the meeting, City of Nedlands commissioner and DAP member David Caddy was the lone vote against both projects.
A render of the development on Cooper Street, Nedlands. Image: Klopper & Davis Architects/DAP document
Mr Caddy said the development might be appropriate for Dalkeith, but not for the Alexander Road location.
“The amendments in my opinion, provide no material benefit to the southern neighbours with respect to solar access to habitable room… nothing in this regard has changed,” he said.
Speaking on the Cooper Street project in Nedlands, Mr Caddy said the development was deficient of one visitor parking bay.
“This may seem a minor point but my reason in not supporting the recommendation is that the proposed reduction in onsite visitor parking does not satisfy the design principles of … [the R codes],” he said.
“Trivial as this one bay shortfall may seem, there remains significant future redevelopment potential in the street block.
“If we as a panel to allow the application before us to be approved today… it creates precedent that would have a knock-on effect to allow developments of 18 bays shortfall.
“Cooper Street is choked now, so what would it look like in the future?”
Despite the concerns, majority of the panel members voted to approve the application.
“There are adequate parking spaces for each individual units,” DAP presiding member Karen Hyde said.
