The Western Australian government has unveiled the largest planning reforms to the state’s Residential Design Codes (R-Codes) in decades, a move designed to drastically boost housing supply across metropolitan Perth by slashing red tape and encouraging urban infill.
The headline change of the targeted review is the total abolition of the average lot size requirement for land zoned R20 and below.
This change effectively allows residential property owners on 700-square-metre blocks to subdivide their land, dropping the threshold from the previous 900-square-metre requirement.
Given that R20 is the most common density code in suburban Perth, the state government estimates the shift will immediately unlock subdivision potential for over 50,000 existing properties.
Beyond creating thousands of new back-block lots, the overhaul aims to accelerate construction timelines by halving the approval process for single-detached homes from 60 days down to 30 days.
Furthermore, standard household projects, including single houses, renovations, patios, and carports, will completely bypass the planning approval system if they meet baseline standards.
Other key measures currently under consideration by an expert advisory group include abolishing minimum car parking requirements for apartments and granny flats to lower building costs for first-home buyers.
The government is also considering lifting maximum building heights in R40 zones to allow for three-storey dwellings, up from the current two-storey cap and redefining baseline heights across medium and high-density zones.
The policy drop coincides with a state ‘health check’ on the Perth and Peel @ 3.5million plan. While WA’s annual urban infill rate has historically lagged behind its 47 per cent target, recent data indicates an encouraging rebound, climbing from 34 per cent in 2023 to 39 per cent in 2024.
“The changes we are proposing are among the most significant reforms to the R-Codes since they were brought in three decades ago and build on previous changes to the medium density codes and our broader nation-leading planning reforms,” said Planning and Lands Minister John Carey.
“The proposed changes enable tens of thousands of existing properties to be subdivided that couldn’t previously – providing more opportunities for housing in existing suburbs.”
The draft R-Code changes are slated for public consultation later this year, with full implementation expected by mid-2027.
