Brad Pettitt: State’s big density mistake against against local Government

Anyone who cares about better planning and a more compact Perth should welcome more housing and greater density near train stations.

However, the State Government’s announcement this week, which focused on density at ten train stations, has fallen flat because it sidelines local governments and communities, and in the process, unnecessarily undermines the delivery of housing in transit-oriented station precincts.

It could have been an opportunity for collaboration, but instead, the WA Government chose to override local voices with the WA Planning Commission being the rule-maker, judge, and jury.

Perversely, the 10 stations in the announcement exclude the very train stations where local governments have been asking for higher-density developments through co-ordinated planning frameworks,