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New planning regulations could help one state bring on new stock up to two months faster.
Western Australia has replaced Town Planning Regulations 1967 with a new set of regulations that will take effect on 19 October.
The Real Estate Institute of Western Australia welcomed the changes, which it said could reduce building and renovation times by up to two months.
President David Airey said one of the main frustrations with homebuilders was the need to get planning approval and, separately, a building permit for a single dwelling on land that was already zoned for houses and already had an authorised design.
“It has never been very practical to get two approvals for the one house, and this has added a lot of time to the process. Thankfully, the minister has overseen a common-sense change that now means a planning-compliant single house will no longer require approval,” he said.
“It also means that simple things like installing a planning-compliant patio, carport or granny flat should save up to 60 days in administration time, because the government has removed the need for a development application to be submitted to the local government.”
Mr Airey also applauded the move to a uniform approach with process and application forms across the state.
“With around 150 local government authorities around Western Australia, it’s imperative that there is consistency in the process from one council to another,” he said.
“And it’s great to see that the template for local planning schemes is now being presented in more everyday language, without the confusing legal lingo that can confuse many people.”
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