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Kwinana under pressure as development surges

Chloe FraserSound Telegraph
Kwinana has seen a surge in home building applications.
Camera IconKwinana has seen a surge in home building applications. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Kwinana has experienced a surge in development over the last three months, with the council swamped by applications and unable to approve them fast enough.

Recent figures revealed the number of applications received between July and October had doubled compared with the same time last year, increasing from 78 to 167. Wellard has proved to be the most sought after suburb, with about 50 applications received.

The surge is due to government stimulus packages to eligible home builders that can receive up to $45,000 worth of rebates under the Federal HomeBuilder and WA’s Building Bonus stimulus packages — including a $20,000 grant for anyone who builds or buys off-the-plan in a single-tier development in WA through to the end of the year.

Mayor Carol Adams said to obtain the grant for new homes, contracts must be signed with homebuilders by the end of this year, which meant developers must finalise subdivisions as soon as possible.

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“Additionally, Landgate has released a bulletin advising applications for new land titles must be submitted prior to November 30 to ensure they are processed by the end-of-year deadline,” she said.

City staff say they are under “critical pressure” to issue subdivision clearances quickly to help create lots for new grant-subsidised housing.

“Approving a new local development plan or amendments are a prerequisite to most subdivision clearances,” a City report said.

“(Staff) consultations with developers has indicated that the time frames associated with the assessment and approval of a (plan) at the City of Kwinana is impacting their ability to meet the time frames required.”

LDP approvals require consideration and approval by the council at its meetings. It can take eight to 10 weeks for a report to be prepared and determined following its submission.

Last week, councillors voted to speed up the process by approving a temporary 12-month amendment, starting November 11, to allow chief executive Wayne Jack to grant approvals.

Elected members will still be advised about the applications being considered and they can decide if they want to look at the proposal.

Cr Adams said the City was still receiving a high number of industrial and commercial development applications on top of residential applications, adding further pressure.

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