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A housing precinct expected to deliver up to 20,000 homes in WA’s South West region is still yet to receive the development green light from the state government, despite the project launching a decade ago.
The Shire of Dardanup’s City of Wanju project officially kicked off at a naming ceremony back in 2016, with a plan to deliver between 15,000 and 20,000 lots to form a precinct that would complement existing services and facilities already available in greater Bunbury.
Shire president Tyrrell Gardiner said the local council is ready to move forward and called on the state government to ensure the critical growth area can be realised.
“The Shire of Dardanup is ready to deliver one of Western Australia’s most significant new growth areas through the planned City of Wanju, which is expected to accommodate 15,000 to 20,000 homes and up to 50,000 residents,” he said.
“The Shire remains confident in Wanju’s capacity to make a substantial contribution to the State’s housing supply, however we need clear and coordinated state government support to unlock the next stage.
“This includes investment and forward planning for critical headworks infrastructure such as water, sewer, power and telecommunications, so development can commence without further delay.”
The state government announced a total of $4.7 billion poured into housing in its recent budget, including $694 million for DevelopmentWA to create thousands of new lots across the state through the development of residential land.
However, the Wanju proposal was not among the list of projects, a move that came as a surprise to Gardiner.
“We would love to have seen some embracing of this project from the state government at the time,” he said.
“The population of the Greater Bunbury area doubles on average every 30 years.
“Looking at other spots to potential places for growth within the region, Bunbury can’t go any further west.
“Up and down the coast is probably the limit of where they can go, so the Wanju proposal as a greenfield site is, to me, the optimum spot to put growth for the region.”
WA opposition housing spokeswoman Sandra Brewer, who grew up in the shire, said the absence of budget funding confirms Wanju has gone from stalled to stunted.
“Headlines as far back as 2022 warned that plans for Wanju had stalled, despite the Government once promoting it as WA’s newest city with the potential for 18,500 new homes and 16 new schools,” she said.
“Having grown up in the Shire of Dardanup, I know the local community is frustrated by the lack of affordable housing and ever-rising rents.
“Wanju could provide a chance for many West Australians to make a bright future in the South West, but once again we’ve seen this development absent from the state budget.”
Planning and Lands Minister John Carey said Wanju is a long-term urban development project intended to accommodate growth over the coming decades, noting significant supporting infrastructure is required before any development can occur.
“In March 2020, the Western Australian Planning Commission endorsed the Wanju District Structure Plan,” he said.
“The COVID pandemic radically changed housing markets across the nation and to date there has been limited interest from private land developers.
“In November 2023, the WAPC initiated a review and amendments to the DSP in recognition of changed market conditions.
“The WAPC is working collaboratively with the shire and other government agencies to progress the amendment, noting Wanju is a long-term urban development project.”
Gardiner acknowledged there had been delays through a range of arising issues, including the development of the Wilman Wadandi Highway (formerly the Bunbury Outer Ring Road) and the outbreak of COVID.
However, he added that progress had also been delayed by a protracted state government planning review process, which has been underway for approximately four years, and developers had shown significant interest in the site.
“We understand this review is nearing completion, and we are hopeful it will be finalised by the end of the year,” Gardiner said.
“There is already strong market interest, with developers ready to proceed.
“However, the absence of this enabling infrastructure is currently holding back delivery of much‑needed housing.”
Carey said there were several active developments in the Greater Bunbury area already occurring including Dalyellup, Eaton, Treendale and Treendale East.
“The state government is prioritising housing, residential subdivision projects and coordination of essential infrastructure delivery in regional Western Australia, including through the $75 million Regional Housing Support Fund and the $665 million Housing Enabling Infrastructure Fund, which includes funding to unlock new land supply in the South West and Great Southern,” he said.
“The $120 million Infrastructure Development Fund also includes a regional stream to address upfront utility costs that constrain housing projects.”
Meanwhile, Gardiner said the shire will continue to work to progress its vision for the City of Wanju, and is more than ready to continue to work with the state government to progress the development of the site.
The shire is progressing opportunities in the adjacent Waterloo Industrial Park, including the rezoning of land to support industrial development and potential future intermodal freight infrastructure, which will further support jobs growth alongside residential expansion.
“Wanju represents a once in a generation opportunity to deliver homes, jobs and infrastructure in a coordinated way for the South West,” Gardiner said.
“It’s a really unique opportunity, which we want to do well, but we need other levels of government.
“There’s other players involved, other than just the Dardanup Shire.
“So we need them on board to get it going.
“We’re ready. We just need the others as well.”
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