Urban Development Institute of Australia plans $420m for three corridors that can ease Perth’s housing crisis

The State could boost the housing supply by about 90,000 homes in three key growth corridors through a $420 million infrastructure program, according to the Urban Development Institute of Australia in WA. UDIA claims the infrastructure program could help lift Perth out of its chronic housing undersupply by creating the building blocks for new housing estates in the north-east, north-west and southern corridors. It claims new estates are oversubscribed and struggling to meet demand, with lot availability dropping to below the record lows seen in 2006. But it claims the areas — including north Ellenbrook, Bullsbrook, east Wanneroo, east Wellard and Mundijong — could be realistically brought on for housing development by addressing some key infrastructure constraints. UDIA claims only $110m of its proposed $421m infrastructure program over four years has already been committed by the State Government, which means WA is still far from ensuring the supply of an anticipated 89,500 new homes in the three areas. The Growth Areas Infrastructure Requirements Report calls for new wastewater pump stations and trunk mains, power substations and feeder networks, and intersection and road upgrades. “WA has the fastest-growing population in the country, there are plenty of job opportunities and our economy is strong,” UDIA WA chief executive Tanya Steinbeck said. “The problem is we just don’t have the housing to adequately accommodate people. “There is a misconception here in Perth that land that has been zoned for urban or future urban use is plentiful and easy to bring to market, particularly in new (greenfield) areas. “The reality is, there are a myriad constraints on this land from infrastructure to environmental constraints. “We need to overcome the infrastructure constraints in these three key areas through planning, co-ordination and delivery of infrastructure at the right time to catalyse development for the creation of new homes.” Most of Perth’s land is subject to environmental constraints, such as considering wetlands, waterways, floodways, Bush Forever zones and threatened ecological communities. But in the three key corridors identified by UDIA, the key constraints are lack of social, service and transport infrastructure. UDIA claims that in the north-east corridor there is a dire need for multiple wastewater pump and transfer stations as well as sewer trunk infrastructure. This area also needs an extension of water reticulation trunk mains, among other key pieces of infrastructure. In the north-west corridor, around west Wanneroo, there was a need for Jandabup “A” and “D” wastewater pump stations and interim pressure mains, according to the report. There is also a requirement for an upgrade to Wanneroo Reservoir. In the southern corridor there was a need for Mundijong Road upgrade and district level wastewater pump station to Rockingham Treatment Plant, among other infrastructure requirements. Ms Steinbeck said said while infill development was a critical piece of the housing supply puzzle, this sector of the market faced different constraints. “All forms of supply, in both greenfield and infill locations, are urgently needed to meet the growing and evolving needs of ourpopulation and provide relief to a market in a critical state,” the report said.