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Perth’s CBD is set to become home to over 100 new social and affordable rental apartments.
Set to be constructed by 2029, the 30-storey development will bring 174 new apartments to Roe Street.
Housing and Works minister John Carey said the state government is “throwing everything” at accelerating the delivery of housing supply.
“Never have we seen in our state’s history, so many build-to-rent projects underway, and this is the 21st project,” he said.
One of the build-to-rent developments currently underway is the former Stirling Towers public housing site at Lot 501 Smith Street, Highgate.
The project, set to be completed by 2027, will see the former public housing site transformed into new apartments, delivering 109 one- and two-bedroom social, affordable and specialist disability rental units just outside of Perth’s CBD.
The new Roe Street development will be split into 139 affordable rentals and 35 social homes and will comprise of one and two-bedroom apartments.
“There is no better place for high-density, affordable rentals than right in the core of the city, close to public transport, close to amenities, close to jobs,” Carey said.
The development is designed by Perth-based architects MJA Studio and will be built by ICON Construction, taking inspiration from Roe Street’s Art Deco heritage.
Sustainability features include a high-performance insulated façade, natural cross-ventilation, increased winter sun access, all-electric services and passive design measures to reduce energy use and living costs.
Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti said the government has an “enormous challenge” to continue to supply more housing to Western Australians, but this project was a step in the right direction.
“We’re building one of the biggest social and affordable housing projects in the Perth CBD, delivering quality homes for people who need them most, in a fantastic location,” she said.
“The project will provide reliable, affordable rentals in walking distance to our public transport network, close to work and study opportunities and essential services.
“This is part of a strong pipeline of affordable and social homes we’re building right across our State as part of our record $4.7 billion investment in housing in our last State Budget.”
Once construction is completed in 2029, the building will be sold to a community housing provider.
Carey said this would allow for the provider to choose who lives in the apartments.
“Just to be very clear, when this is completed, it is sold to a community housing provider … and what that means is, with all these build-to-rent projects, the community housing provider manages the facility, selects the tenants, and we believe this is the best model,” he said.
As for how the rental fees are determined, Carey said it varies between social housing and affordable homes.
“Social housing is set at 25 per cent of people’s income. Affordable rentals can vary according to the community housing, so it can either be set at 30 per cent of someone’s income, or it can be discounted from the market rate,” he said.
“What I can assure you is, we’ve got 21 of these, and I think people don’t realise we have so many build-to-rent projects underway. These are massive projects; they do take around two years to deliver.
“But why it’s so critical is this: the biggest demand, the growing demographics that we need to cater for, are singles and couples, and that’s why we need to do density development because doing lots of four-by-twos does not address the primary demand on our affordable and social housing.”
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