Your block, your choice. Fewer permits, more homes.
The WA Planning Commission has released draft changes to the Residential Design Codes. They would scrap average lot sizes for R10 to R25 land in Perth and Peel, which the Government says would let more than 70,000 existing properties be subdivided. Simple projects such as patios and carports would no longer need planning approval.
These are welcome steps, but they are still only a draft. Public comment is open until 5pm (AWST) on Friday 26 February 2027, and the Government expects changes to start taking effect later in 2027.
A better way is simple: owners should be free to build on their own land, and approvals should be quick and certain.
What we’d do
- Finalise and implement the R-Code changes without watering them down.
- Introduce deemed approval when councils miss statutory deadlines.
- Make “no planning approval needed” the default for homes that meet the codes.