Perth 27 August 2015: The Real Estate Institute of Western Australia has welcomed changes to planning regulations that will speed up planning approvals for new homes by reducing ‘red tape’.

Starting on 19 October this year, building and renovation times could be cut by up to two months for planning-compliant homes.

REIWA President David Airey said one of the main frustrations with home builders was the need to get planning approval and, separately, a building permit for a single dwelling on land that was already zoned for houses, and with a design that already met the conditions of the R-Codes.

“It has never been very practical to get two approvals for the one house and this has added a lot of time to the process. Thankfully, the Minister has overseen a common-sense change that now means a planning-compliant single house will no longer require approval. 

“It also means that with simple things like installing a planning-compliant patio, carport or granny flat should save up to 60 days in administration time, because the government has removed the need for a Development Application to be submitted to the local government,” Mr Airey said.

Mr Airey also applauded the move to a uniform approach with process and application forms across the state.

“With around 150 local government authorities around WA, it’s imperative that there is consistency in the process from one council to another. And it’s great to see that the template for local planning schemes is now being presented in more every-day language, without the confusing legal-lingo that can confuse many people,” Mr Airey said.