Advocacy group to push back on apartments

A new group of property professionals promises to bring balance to Perth’s debate over density.

Growing opposition to multi-residential projects across Perth has prompted the establishment of an advocacy group, which aims to promote the benefits of apartment living to the wider community.

Market analyst and commentator Samantha Reece told Business News she set up the group, known as Western Australian Apartment Advocacy, in an attempt to quell the growing influence of what she described as a vocal minority on the development approvals process.

Ms Reece said the influence of those opposed to development was being felt most strongly in South Perth, where Edge Visionary Living was fighting a legal battle over a 44-storey project after a ratepayer group successfully challenged its approval in the Supreme Court.

The City of South Perth is also midway through the process of reinstating height limits – which it removed in 2013 to attract developers to build the critical mass needed for the state government to invest in a new train station at Richardson Street – after sustained campaigning against proposed projects by ratepayer groups.

“In the case of South Perth, 300 people turned up to a meeting and influenced a core decision,” Ms Reece said.

“But really, you had another 99 per cent of the population in South Perth who weren’t even asked.

“We need to put the brakes on the detractors.

“There are people out there that do like the benefits and they love living in an apartment, but they’re scared to speak their mind because they’ll get shot down.”

Ms Reece has assembled a diverse group of property professionals to espouse the virtues of higher-density living – Rowe Group managing director Greg Rowe, REMAX Central principal Bruce Reynolds, Urbis senior consultant Sean Morrison, and GHD Woodhead principal Mark Popplewell.

Mr Rowe said the group would make a concerted effort to remove the demonising effect of opposition to high-rise apartment projects.

“What the elected members making decisions know is there is a vocal group that says they don’t want development,” he said.

“But the problem industry has, is that’s the only group they are hearing from.

“That’s what this group is planning to change, to let them know that there is the same number of people on balance, if not more, that want a different outcome.

“What councils miss is if they grow their population base, they grow their rate payments, and either the developers or the councils, or a combination of, can start contributing much more to that community.

“You can start building facilities, improving parks, rebuilding old run-down child-minding centres, libraries and community halls.”

Mr Rowe said the knock-on effect of widespread opposition was that developers would become discouraged and give up on projects, pointing to Sydney-based developer D2 Property’s decision to put the Subiaco Pavilion Markets site up for sale after a lengthy battle to win development approval.

“No planning process is seamless and there are enough barriers without dealing with protesters,” Mr Rowe said.

One member of the group, who requested anonymity due to a conflict of interest, said the groundswell of opposition to projects in WA was increasingly becoming a roadblock for developers with exposure to other markets.

“Every time you put up a project, it is put up against every other state and we’re fighting for capital; that’s the journey that you have to go through to release that product to market,” he told Business News.

“If we’re going to be caught up in the knowledge that our development approval process is not going to be a simple three month and then DAP, you then have to look at the risks.

“Potentially your seller will lose out because you’ll need a discount, or alternatively, you will pass on the extra holding costs to the apartment buyer.”

Mr Morrison said opposition to projects was also having far-reaching consequences for apartment sales.

“If you are a foreign investor and you’re thinking about whether you should invest in Perth or in Melbourne, and you read that all these projects in South Perth are being taken to the Supreme Court, it has a real, substantive impact on business investment,” he said.

“Councillors and all levels of government not only have an obligation to their current residents, but also to future residents.”

Mr Morrison said the curious thing about the density debate in Perth was that nobody ever made a judgement call on someone that wanted to build a house.

“When the city sprawls further or new suburbs pop up, some people almost look at is with a sense of pride, saying ‘wow, the city is really growing and prospering’,” Mr Morrison said.

“But when people see cranes in the skyline for apartment buildings, the reaction is ‘this is really scary, what’s going on?’

“People need to understand that in no way, shape, or form, will their choice to live in a house ever be compromised.”