Business News :: Great For The State :: Vol2, Issue 4 by GRAFFIK

CITY FUTURE of the

18 May 2020 | businessnews.com.au

GREAT forthe STATE

12-PAGE FEATURE

SERIES 2 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; EDITION 4

Does Perth have the right plan? P3

Three density options P8

Urban infill taking on new look P10

Where next for Perth?

Partners Hester Avenue junction Mitchell Freeway Photo: Gabriel Oliveira

SERIES 2 – EDITION 4

City of the future We review Perth’s development and explore options as the wider metropolitan area grows toward 3.5 million people.

Join the community

Julian Bolleter

Robert Cameron

Robert Slocombe

Matt Woods

Australian Urban Design Research Centre The University of Western Australia

Group CEO RAC WA

Chairman of partners, WA KPMG

Those of us who have been working from suburban homes during the COVID-19 pandemic have been pleasantly surprised to discover the many positive aspects to living and working in our local environment. Urban planning experts are now taking up the challenge by examining how we can successfully adapt and embed some of these valuable features into higher-density areas. (See page 7)

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an enormous impact on the way we live and move around. Right now our focus is, quite rightfully, on the immediate health and economic responses. However, we will soon need to turn our attention to matters such as mobility and urban development to help safeguard the future liveability and productivity of our city and state. Access to a range of safe, convenient and affordable transport options, as well as better urban planning, will continue to play a big part in improving the wellbeing of our communities and reducing the burden on our health system. (See page 10)

18 May 2020 | Great for the State

Twitter: @wabusinessnews Facebook.com/ WABusinessNews Instagram: @wabusinessnews LinkedIn.com/company/ wa-business-news

Photo: LILA PHOTO We are incredibly fortunate to live and work in such a wonderful and diverse state filled with so many opportunities for growth. At KPMG, we are proud to once again support the Business News Great for the State initiative, where we can showcase and celebrate the many wonderful attributes of Western Australia, and its people. Just as importantly, we look forward to working together with WA’s business community to help create growth for our future generations. (See page 11)

Future issues Value adding June 15 Sharing prosperity with our regions July 13 Environmental excellence August 10 Asian engagement September 7 A healthier society October 5 Diversity – embracing inclusion November 2

We are still building an excessive number of family-style dwellings when our demographics over 20 years have changed a lot - Marion Fulker

Urban infill key for 2050 vision of Perth Perth is consistently ranked as one of the world’s most liveable cities, but what will happen as the population approaches 3.5 million?

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Directions 2031, released in 2010, set some hard targets to achieve a more compact and accessible city. Key among these was the goal of 47 per cent urban infill. Infill rates in the metro area have been trending higher over the past decade but have never come close to reaching that level (see graph).

47% – Target

Setting targets

Perth’s residential infill

It also flagged a target for urban infill, suggesting 60 per cent of new residential housing should be in established urban areas. That would have doubled the traditional level of about 30 per cent.

Perth’s development as a sprawling, car-dependent city has been shaped by a series of planning schemes going back to the Stephenson-Hepburn Plan, which was drawn up in 1955 and designed to accommodate 1.4 million people by 2005. The Corridor Plan followed in 1970, with the aim of channelling urban growth along self-sufficient corridors. Metroplan, released in 1990, marked a shift in thinking. It recognised the need to create wider corridors of urban development, to try and consolidate the city. That was followed by the Network City plan in 2004, which mapped out a connected city with higher densities around transport nodes.

ommittee for Perth chief executive Marion Fulker recalls the strong response she got from her fellow masters students at the London School of Economics last year. Presenting on Perth’s longterm growth, she spoke about the city’s enviable lifestyle, before explaining the metropolitan area now sprawled 150 kilometres from north to south. “They were really puzzled as to why Perth was setting itself up for what they see as failure,” Ms Fulker said. “Why are you sprawling like that and killing off your beautiful natural environment and locking people into commuting long distances?”

Photos by Gabriel Oliveira

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Story by Mark Beyer

FUTURE Marion Fulker advocates bigger changes to accommodate Perth’s long-term growth.

Source: WA Planning Commission, Urban Growth Monitor, Jan 2020

Continued on page 4 Great for the State | 18 May 2020

Infill vital to achieve Perth 2050 vision

To accommodate a population of 3.5 million by 2050, we need to deliver a lot more density - Tanya Steinbeck

BALANCE Tanya Steinbeck says the industry supports a balance of infill and greenfield development.

18 May 2020 | Great for the State

Continued from page 3 The net infill rate (which accounts for demolition activity) has ranged from 28 per cent in 2012 to a high of 42 per cent in 2017 before falling back to 38 per cent in 2018, the most recent data. Directions 2031 also set a goal to increase average residential density in greenfield development areas by 50 per cent, to 15 dwellings per gross hectare of urban-zoned land. This equates to 26 dwellings per net site hectare. In 2018, the average density in greenfield growth areas was 22.2 dwellings per net site hectare – a significant increase over the decade but well below the long-term target. It was against that backdrop that the current state government launched ‘Perth and Peel@3.5 million’ two years ago. It mapped out a plan for accommodating 3.5 million people by 2050 – another target Perth is unlikely to reach, given the fall in population growth since

the end of the resources construction boom and the halting of migration since the onset of COVID-19. While the timing might change, Perth will eventually reach a population of 3.5 million people. To accommodate that growth, Perth will need nearly 800,000 new homes. If the government meets its 47 per cent infill target, nearly 380,000 dwellings will be built in existing urban areas. Most of these will be in the Central sub-region (see table). Most of Perth’s new dwellings (about 409,000) will continue to be greenfield developments on the urban fringe. If infill stays around current levels (40 per cent), the number of houses built on the urban fringe will be even higher, around 470,000. That highlights another challenge facing Perth, namely the mismatch between where people live and where they work. The central metro area, which extends from Bayswater to North Beach, and from South Freman-

tle to Cannington, has more jobs than people, with a ratio of 139 per cent (see table). In contrast, the north-west sub-region, which encompasses Wanneroo and Joondalup, has a ratio of 49 per cent, meaning the number of jobs is only half the number of working-age people. This is particularly important in Perth, which has one of the highest car use rates in the world, with more than three quarters of people travelling to work by car.

Policy response Planning Minister Rita Saffioti acknowledges there is a way to go to meet the infill and density targets she inherited from Directions 2031. “It’s definitely a work in progress,” Ms Saffioti told Business News. The minister’s signature policies include Metronet, which features an expansion of Perth’s heavy rail network to places such as Byford, Yanchep and Ellenbrook. “They are an acknowledge-

ment that growth is occurring now,” Ms Saffioti said. “People who want to live in those areas should have access to good public transport, so they are connected to jobs and opportunities.” The state government is also overseeing a major expansion of the city’s road network. Critics believe this will lock in Perth’s car dependency, but the minister is unapologetic. “You need to invest in both; we are a spread-out city,” Ms Saffioti said. She cites the Mandurah rail line as an example of public transport working in tandem with roads. “If you don’t invest in public transport, your roads become unworkable,” Ms Saffioti said. The state government has also been pushing to get more infill, in the process getting into a fight with municipalities including Subiaco and Nedlands. “Most councils are on board,” Ms Saffioti said. “No doubt the inner-city councils have a real challenge.

“Some have been proactive, others have been a bit resistant.” To support more infill, the government is pursuing multiple reforms to a planning system that experienced planners such as Ross Povey say needs a big overhaul.

Integrated planning “The planning system in WA is set up for greenfield development, and that’s what we’ve seen a lot of in the last 40 years,” Mr Povey said. “Infill is much more complicated; the system is not well set up for that.” Mr Povey understands the frustrations felt by local councils, having previously worked at that level of government. “I think the area where local governments get a bit frustrated is where the density argument is not backed up with infrastructure investment,” he said. “Certainly in the central sub-region, where the largest amount of infill housing is occurring, that is an issue. “There is no agreed plan for future transport investment in this region, there hasn’t been for a decade. “The really good cities in the world have worked out that planning schemes need to better integrate transport and land use.” Ms Fulker shares this concern, citing the example of Vancouver, in Canada. “Density plus amenity plus mobility is what they get,” she said. “They don’t get density with a promise of some things to come. “It’s a more sophisticated conversation.” Urban Development Institute of Australia state director Tanya Steinbeck also believes there is a need for better coordination. “We have a planning framework that has been put together in isolation from an infrastructure strategy and in isolation from a sustainability or environmental strategy,” Ms Steinbeck said. She welcomed last year’s establishment of Infrastructure WA, which is preparing a 20year strategy for WA. Ms Steinbeck also commended the establishment last year of the federal government’s Centre for Population, which she said would be a central source of truth for population forecasts. Ms Steinbeck said the land development industry accepted the need for greater density. “There is a cohort that will always want large homes and lots of space, but how do we also ac-

commodate affordable housing, singles, couples, people downsizing?” she asked. “We don’t have anywhere near enough one- and two-bedroom houses in Perth. “To accommodate a population of 3.5 million by 2050, we need to deliver a lot more density.” Ms Steinbeck also noted the high cost of delivering infrastructure on the urban fringe. “We’ve gone as far as Mandurah and Yanchep with a rail line, how much further can we go?” While there are some opportunities in Perth for high-rise, she saw more potential in medium-density infill. “That medium density space is the real opportunity, which we have done well in some areas, East Perth, the Midland redevelopment near the hospital, Subiaco near Centro. “That’s the kind of density that I think is more acceptable to the community but there is still a place for high rise in the right location.” Ms Steinbeck said her members were keen to see details of the government’s precinct planning policy, designed to support more density in defined areas such as around Metronet stations. Ms Saffioti said infill had to change so there was a greater focus on busy precincts that could deliver high amenity rather than a blanket approach across entire suburbs (see page 10). She also wants to see larger, better quality infill developments. “We should encourage amalgamation of blocks for new developments, because big blocks give you an ability to deliver much better outcomes,” Ms Saffioti said. The minister said the impact of density and well-planned precincts on business was often overlooked. “High streets need people to survive and thrive; it means density so you have people who can walk to the strip to get their coffee and have their meal,” Ms Saffioti said. A key element in the government’s agenda is the so-called planning reform action plan, with legislation being drafted. “There is a lot of debate about particular buildings and their height, but that is usually a result of the local planning scheme and strategy,” Ms Saffioti told Business News. “We want to make sure our schemes and plans are robust

Employment self-sufficiency (by sub-region) 2011

2050

Central

139%

North West

49%

59%

North East

80%

85%

South and Peel

59%

74%

Source: Perth and Peel@3.5 million

Where Perth’s new homes will be built (by sub-region) ESTABLISHED DWELLINGS (2011)

NEW INFILL

NEW GREENFIELDS

PROJECTED DWELLINGS (2050)

Central

332,470

213,130

545,600

North West

114,920

48,590

120,000

283,710

North East

76,550

39,900

62,660

179,110

South and Peel

205,490

75,510

226,670

507,670

Total

729,430

377,130

409,530

1,516,090

Source: Perth and Peel@3.5 million

and reflect a good plan for each suburb. “We need to engage people earlier when the schemes are developed, to avoid the arguments later about particular buildings “We don’t want frustration and surprises at the end.” She said a key element in planning schemes was the transition from density to single residences.

Land supply The slowdown in Perth’s population growth has taken pressure off the city’s land supply, which is overseen by WA Planning Commission chair David Caddy. However, Ms Steinbeck said it remained a long-term concern for the industry. “David Caddy will tell you we have enough urban-zoned land to facilitate land supply until 2050; we’re not so sure,” she said. The UDIA has reviewed one area of Perth and found that up to 25 per cent of land zoned ‘urban’ could not be developed

because of issues such as land fragmentation or environmental constraints. Ms Steinbeck said the UDIA was working with the government to review the underlying assumptions. The state’s land supply is updated each year in the Urban Growth Monitor. The latest edition said it would take 33 years to fully consume the current stock of urban-zoned land in the Perth and Peel regions, based on the historical development pattern of 30 per cent infill. If the 47 per cent infill target were to be achieved, the existing urban-zoned land would last for 62 years. Mr Caddy is confident the current land supply is adequate. “When we talk about Perth and Peel developing to 3.5 million people, which it will eventually, we are making sure we have enough land that is zoned for urban development to accommodate that target, and a big part of that is the 47 per cent infill,” he said.

“We need to make sure the land is available and the infrastructure is in place to support that population.” Ms Steinbeck said she did not expect the government to rezone any further land outside the existing planning boundaries. “From what I see of this government, ‘Perth to Peel’ is effectively an urban growth boundary,” she said. “They are not going to rezone any further sprawl. “There is already a commitment, I think, to an urban growth boundary.” However, Ms Saffioti said she was wary about the idea of imposing a hard boundary, noting research that suggested it may push up land prices. “There is a lot of developable land available, plus Metronet creates new opportunities alongside rail infrastructure,” she said. “That is my priority.” Continued on page 6 Great for the State | 18 May 2020

Infill vital to achieve Perth 2050 vision Continued from page 5

Reflection Ms Fulker said research commissioned by the Committee for Perth showed that Perth residents liked the city in its current form. “We know from our work that people like Perth pretty much the way it is,” she said. “The current policy reflects where the community is at.” She added that the appreciation of Perth’s liveable environment had been heightened during the COVID-19 restrictions. “We have really appreciated Perth as a place with lots of public open space, access to the river and lots of natural bush,” Ms Fulker said. Ms Steinbeck has seen a similar community response. “COVID has highlighted the importance of a really well planned and designed urban

environment and the walkability and liveability of that environment,” she said, “We’ve started to use our local neighbourhoods, our cycle paths, our walking trails, our public open spaces, our local shops.” Ms Fulker said the challenge for Perth was how to combine its current attributes with a much larger population. “When Perth has another 1.5 million people, it still needs to feel like Perth,” she said. “In most other cities, communities are really pushing back against trees being knocked down and habitat being eroded for more housing.” She noted there had been considerable change, with more high-rise and more density in places such as Subi Centro and East Perth. “We just don’t have enough of that,” Ms Fulker said.

“We are still building an excessive number of family-style dwellings when our demographics over 20 years have changed a lot.” She said Perth needed more housing choice to ensure there were products that were affordable and suited different ages and stages of life. Ms Fulker said there were a lot of positives in the state government’s approach. “I think they’ve done well; the minister has a reform agenda and there has been widespread consultation. “The minister has also been incredibly brave using her callin powers to get the outcomes she has wanted and been brave about making unpopular decisions.” Ms Fulker’s concern is that the current policy settings, based on having a balance between infill and greenfield development,

will not be adequate for Perth’s long-term future. ”They are certainly moving in the right direction if the goal is balance, but is that the goal?” she asked. “Our target is only 47 per cent. It’s not particularly ambitious. “At the very least it should be 50 per cent and policies should be working across government to get there.” She paints a worrying picture of what may happen without a major shift. “Perth will grow out, not up, and the region will suffer from the ill effects of land obesity with limited options for intervention,” Ms Fulker said. “Greater Perth will be fixed in a cycle of urban sprawl and car dependence. “This approach will come at a cost to the environment, the community, taxpayers and to Perth’s prized quality of life.”

Restarting WA’s economy in a COVID safe way COVID-19 has had a significant impact on Western Australia’s economy, and the State is now ready to get back to work.

In this phase, workers will be encouraged to return to their offices, unless they are unwell or vulnerable.

From 18 May, the State will enter Phase 2 of the WA government’s road map. Developed in conjunction with the National Cabinet framework, the road map is based on the best health advice for the State, and will start to get West Australians back to work within a ‘COVID safe economy’.

Many cafés, restaurants and pubs will be able to start offering dine-in service, to a maximum of 20 patrons. Each of those businesses will need to complete a COVID Safety Plan to ensure that they are reducing the risk of spreading the virus.

“This phased approach allows us to carefully monitor COVID-19 in WA, and ease restrictions in a way that supports our economy, with the smallest risk to the community’s health,” says Premier Mark McGowan. “It might not meet everyone’s expectation, but we are doing what we can to carefully get businesses up and going that have been devastated by the impacts of COVID-19.” 6

18 May 2020 | Great for the State

WA.gov.au

Regional travel restrictions are easing, allowing for more travel within the larger regions, providing a boost to the struggling tourism industry.

Many hospitality businesses are expected to benefit from the easing of restrictions on cafes, bars and restaurants. In the coming weeks, details of the next phase of the road map will be finalised, based on the advice of the Chief Health Officer.

More information on the changes are available at www.wa.gov.au

This phase will likely see further relaxations on the hospitality and regional travel restrictions, and restarting the beauty therapy and personal care industries.

The State Government is still encouraging everyone to keep practising social distancing and good personal hygiene, and download the COVIDSafe phone app.

The State Government will closely monitor the situation before moving ahead with any further relaxation of the restrictions.

If you don’t invest in public transport, your roads become unworkable - Rita Saffioti

CHANGE Rita Saffioti is pursuing multiple reforms to get better outcomes.

SPONSORED CONTENT

Renewed focus on urban planning will ensure a resilient and liveable city Some have referred to COVID-19 as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Great Pauseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. An unrivalled opportunity to deeply consider our future and ensure we are on a trajectory which improves quality of life for all Western Australians. The way our cities and transport systems are planned greatly influences where we live, work and socialise, and how we move around. We have never had a better opportunity to reflect on these types of issues, and to correct course where necessary. By 2050, an estimated 3.5 million people will be living in the Perth and Peel regions. Keeping our city liveable into the future will require working closely with local communities to build a more resilient, connected city that everyone benefits from.Â To manage growing issues such as over-reliance on personal vehicles and the resulting congestion it causes, we need to look to high-impact strategies, including better urban planning 10

18 May 2020 | Great for the State

around strategically important activity centres. Communities are stronger when residents feel physically and socially connected with each other and their environment. Now more than ever we must explore ways to provide enhanced housing diversity and reimagine the design of streets, public spaces and local centres. While supporting increasing densities, we must also seek to preserve the things Western Australians love about where they live. By delivering the right kind of housing at the right scale in the right areas we can reduce the need for people to travel so far and so often, while also improving access to public transport, employment and local services. It has been clearly highlighted over recent times, the value we all place on our local areas and open spaces. Our neighbourhoods and streets have come alive with more people enjoying walking and cycling, all while maintaining

the necessary social distancing requirements. We should make every effort to sustain this into the future. Creating more peoplefriendly streets and providing safe and connected active transport infrastructure will help foster healthier and more physically active communities and lessen environmental impacts. A more active and engaged community is just one example of how our society could benefit from a renewed focus on transport and urban planning over the months and years ahead. There remains much uncertainty about the future, with many important decisions about how we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic still being determined. In time there will be more debate about how our communities should be planned and managed moving forward. These will be complex issues with various risks, benefits and tradeoffs to weigh up. While there will be no easy

answers to how we plan and develop a post-pandemic Perth, it is critical we take this unwelcome but extraordinary opportunity to reset our thinking and set a path toward a more connected and liveable city. Rob Slocombe Group CEO, RAC

New design guidelines and refined zoning could improve the rollout of medium density housing in established urban areas. Story by Mark Beyer

Photos by Gabriel Oliveira

estern Australian Planning Commission chairman David Caddy believes applying the term ‘the missing middle’ to Perth is a misnomer. “The missing middle is not actually missing,” Mr Caddy said. “We have a ring of suburbs with medium density developments.” In suburbs like Doubleview, Tuart Hill, Belmont and Palmyra, quarter acre blocks have been chopped up to make way for triplexes and quadruplexes over the past 30 years. This type of development has

made a big contribution to urban infill in Perth but has brought with it multiple issues, including the loss of tree canopy, and increased congestion and street parking. And rather than creating diversity, it has replaced one style of housing with another. Planning Minister Rita Saffioti recognises these issues, and says future infill needs to come with a much greater focus on design, amenity, and placemaking in order to gain community support. One step in this process will be the release of DesignWA’s

guidelines for medium density housing, due in July. “In the past, people have not blinked when we allowed subdivisions with villas upon villas at single storey,” Ms Saffioti told Business News. “The real challenge is saying it’s better to have a two- or three-storey building on a smaller section of the block, than the whole block covered with pavers or rooflines. “The medium density design guidelines will really push that forward.” Town planner and architect Ross Povey has spent years

grappling with urban infill, and says one of the keys to a better outcome is zoning. “You need to make sure you zone your suburbs appropriately to allow for diversity, rather than just blanket development across the whole suburb,” he said. “It’s important that the infill development is well located, served by public transport, and close to amenities such as shops and open space. “If you can identify the strategic areas where density can go and actually work with the community and the state

government, Perth will get the best outcome.“ Mr Povey, who heads MAKE planning + design, also favours innovative housing types with different tenure and ownership opportunities. He said many people knew from overseas travel what it was like to walk out of an apartment into a nice location with shops and restaurants. “If you can recreate that, it’s far easier for the community to support this vision,” Mr Povey said. Continued on page 12

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New look for urban density, design Continued from page 11 Mr Povey, who previously worked at City of Stirling, points to its Better Suburbs plan as a good example. Developed with extensive community engagement, it specifies key transport corridors and activity centres earmarked for higher density development. However, implementing this type of strategy came with challenges. “A lot of the infill capacity is in activity corridors and they are not always controlled by the local council,” Mr Povey said. Local councils need to work with agencies including Main Roads Western Australia, he said, which could have different priorities. “With the Main Roads Act, which goes back to the 1950s,

they have a lot of say over what occurs on those roads; they can limit access and thwart some of these planning initiatives,” Mr Povey said. “It’s one of those hidden issues that doesn’t play out much in the public arena. “There is a lot of friction between local government, the WA Planning Commission and Main Roads.” He said a new system was needed for planning infill development along key activity corridors, to reduce red tape and remove the territorial turf disputes between transport and planning agencies. “This is where the conflict with Main Roads WA often exists and where the greatest opportunities are for new infill housing,” Mr Povey said. However, Mr Caddy insisted

the WA Planning Commission and Main Roads WA worked well together. He gave the example of Stirling Highway, which had been earmarked for major development after the minister approved a new planning scheme last year, in the face of local criticism. The scheme has ‘upcoded’ much of the land either side of Stirling Highway, as well as on adjacent streets. “Obviously Main Roads’ priority is to plan a road corridor that can service the expected population, so people can get in and out of that area, so these are things we are investigating with Main Roads,” Mr Caddy said. “We have a very good relationship with Main Roads, I can assure you of that.”

It’s important that the infill development is well located, served by public transport, and close to amenities - Ross Povey

CLEAN SLATE Ross Povey wants to remove territorial turf disputes between transport and planning agencies.

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18 May 2020 | Great for the State