The Australian Institute of Architects, WA Chapter, has welcomed the joint announcement of $80 million for housing infrastructure headworks by Premier McGowan and Ministers, the Honourable Saffioti and Carey.
The WA Chapter believes the funding will help address a critical housing shortage including accommodation for essential workers such as frontline healthcare workers, teachers and police officers.
The Institute is positive about the move to support the development of apartments and infill development located in key locations such as near Metronet stations. This will provide more affordable, sustainable choices for people who want to enjoy the unique benefits of Perth’s inner urban lifestyle.
WA Chapter President, Sandy Anghie, said that,
The architecture profession in WA is very concerned to prevent long term urban sprawl which is severely impacting work-life balance, household budgets and the environment. We can tackle this with greater support for infill development and apartments coupled with the accessibility and urbanisation benefits of Metronet.
The initiative will complement the new Design WA suite of State Planning Policies: SPP 7.3 housing codes.
Ms Anghie further commented,
We stand to benefit by these new design-focused planning codes. However, construction costs for inner urban apartments has made a house in the outer suburbs a far more affordable choice up until now. With the new funding commitment to reduce these costs and the new Design WA planning codes Perth can realise a new vision of housing diversity and improved housing and neighbourhood sustainability. With better design quality for infill housing and strong attention to energy efficiency and sustainability in design, we can achieve high liveability of outdoor and indoor spaces. This is a real win for the Western Australian built environment and the community.
She also added, “Let’s hope this is the start of much needed investment in sensitive urban infill and that design is also given top priority.
Architects are the only fully government regulated design professionals via the statutory Architects Board of Western Australia. In Western Australia, architects are best placed to deliver high quality design outcomes for all forms of housing, especially in our urban infill settings.
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Rosanne Barrett on behalf of the Australian Institute of Architects
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