This article is from the Australian Property Journal archive
CHANGES to granny flat provisions in Western Australia will come into effect next month as the Cook government released its revised residential design codes that it says will increase housing supply and promote greater housing diversity.
The government announced at the end of January it would be relaxing regulations around granny flat construction, including that the dwellings would not need planning approval if they are 70 sqm or smaller and meet setback requirements.
Other changes to granny flat provisions incorporated in the revised R-Codes relax existing planning exemptions by removing the previous minimum 350 sqm lot size requirement and no longer require the granny flat to be compatible with the existing dwelling.
Broader planning reforms across the state kicked in early this month.
Planning Minister John Carey said that the revised Residential Design Codes Volume 1 (R-Codes) will come into effect on 10th April and “boost housing supply and choice while improving design standards across the state”.
Single homes in areas coded R40 and below will not be subject to the 2023 draft Medium Density Code provisions and existing standards from the R-Codes will continue to apply.
The 2023 draft Medium Density Code provisions will apply to single houses coded R50 and above, grouped dwellings coded R30 and above, and multiple dwellings coded R30-60, with minor modifications to some provisions.
The revised R-Codes retain the site area incentives for small dwellings and accessible dwellings in areas coded R30 and above, promoting greater housing diversity.
Some provisions in the code will come into effect over a 24-month transition period.
“The Cook Government continues to lead the nation through our planning reforms designed to boost housing supply in Western Australia, demonstrating our commitment to the National Planning Reform Blueprint agreed to by National Cabinet,” Carey said.
Last week, Property Council of Australia CEO Mike Zorbas used his address to the National Press Club to slam “broken state planning systems” and government taxes as impediments to supply across the country. He attributed the national housing crisis partly to the “rank incompetence of previous government and parliaments…failing to unlock that supply, failing to anticipate population growth,” but nodded towards Western Australia’s planning reforms that he said would “hopefully” make the state an exception to this.
