“As part of a HIA Local Government reform paper shared with State Government in December 2022, HIA called for delegated authority to be mandated across councils in an effort to speed up housing delivery and remove the burden of holding costs. 

“Our members and their customers have consistently provided feedback that being called up before elected members is a very time consuming process that ultimately adds to the cost and frustration of delivering housing,” said Mr McGowan.

“HIA support today’s announcement that Local Government planners and staff are highly experienced and should be empowered with delegated authority to make the best decision on behalf of their community.

“Removing the opportunity for single houses to be called before elected council members is likely to speed up the approval process and result in more affordable outcomes for builders and ultimately consumers.

Mr McGowan also noted that reforming the DAP process and removing mandatory thresholds would benefit housing delivery by providing more certainty and more transparency for proponents.

“Widening the scope for a project to be assessed through the DAP system or the local government provides proponents with an alternative opt-in pathway for approval and will incentivise better planning outcomes.

“Reducing the Decision Approval Panels to three and having dedicated panel members will provide certainty and consistency, which is what industry seeks when attempting to delivery future projects.

“If we are to see an increase in the diversity of housing stock delivered in WA, we need pathways for innovative projects to be approved in a timely manner. Unfortunately, under the current scheme that doesn’t always happen,” concluded Mr McGowan.

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