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High-density hopes for WA housing

High-density hopes for WA housing

WA Planning Commission chairman Eric Lumsden says he is optimistic the State can deliver on plans including infill housing and that those dragging their feet are a "vocal minority".

The former City of Swan chief executive also played down concerns that councils would be a roadblock to higher-density development, saying most were "very positive".

"I was disappointed in (the failure of council) reform," he told a Perth business lunch yesterday. "There are local governments that are problematic but overall I've found they're in the minority."

Mr Lumsden was speaking at an Urban Development Institute of Australia WA function, where he faced criticism from some in the industry that the Government’s newest draft planning strategy lacked detail on how it would be implemented.

He said what was clear was that continuing to rely on greenfield development and urban sprawl would see Perth become “dysfunctional” and unstable.

“We cannot continue doing what we’ve continued doing for much of the last century – it is no longer sustainable socially, economically or environmentally,” he said.

UDIA WA president Paul Lakey said the institute was supportive of the State’s plan, Perth and Peel @3.5 million, which was released earlier this month. But he said there were also a number of concerns around implementation. He said he also believed there had been an “overemphasis on the sprawl”.

“We’re not saying density’s not good and we’re not saying it’s not required,” he said. “But there needs to be more discussion around what density is.”

For example he said it was important to consider whether people actually wanted to live in some of the areas that were earmarked for higher-density living.