West Australian Labor has shifted its election campaign focus to the state's urban planning system, promising to ease bottlenecks and advance progress at stalled local developments.
Opposition spokesperson for planning and housing Bill Johnston unveiled Labor’s new planning policy today, which will allow local councils to seek assistance from the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority on medium-sized redevelopments in Perth suburbs.
Mr Johnston said many redevelopments across the metropolitan area had stalled, and that the MRA’s focus was largely on the CBD.
“WA Labor understands that local residents want action in their own community, not just in the CBD,” Mr Johnston said.
“Redevelopment authorities have generally only been concerned with large, long-term projects, but many development bottlenecks in the metropolitan area are much smaller than these broad areas.
“Allowing the MRA to work in co-operation with local communities will mean community priorities can be finalised much faster than would otherwise be the case.”