Development surges as confidence grows

Published on 27 September 2022

Positivity around the city's future is now translating to real growth, with Council receiving a surge in Development Applications (DAs).

Council has received $33 million worth of DAs to September this year, an increase of $22 million on DAs received between January-September 2021.

Council recently undertook a housing audit to identify potential for residential growth in the city, and sent correspondence to all land-owners in August to encourage them to sell or develop vacant land or renovate properties for rental.

The city is currently facing a housing crisis due to new mining projects looming in the Far West, including the State-significant Hawsons Iron Ore and Cobalt Blue mining projects.

However Mayor Tom Kennedy said the latest DA figures showed that the city's commercial sector was preparing for a bright future.

"The majority of that spike in DAs at the moment is due to commercial developments such as the new hotel in Argent Street, and it's a great sign of confidence in our city," he said.

"We'll look to support that growth with improved public facilities such as parks and infrastructure, and continue to work toward and upgrade of the airport to support a bigger population."

Mayor Kennedy said he expects that the next spike in development would occur in the residential market.

"Early signs from our Housing Audit showed that there is a demand for medium-density housing that isn't currently available in the city," he said.

"Since our correspondence to the community encouraging residential growth we have received double the DA requests we normally would in a given month.

"Our staff have also reported a significant increase in planning inquiries relating to larger developments and multi-unit developments from external developers and investors.

"It's an exciting time for the city, and hopefully we continue to see increases in potential for residential and commercial development well into the future."