The Western Australian Government has removed a number of barriers that have slowed housing development in recent past via its new Infrastructure Development Fund.

The $80 million allocation will assist local governments and developers in offsetting costs of providing water, sewerage and electricity services to new housing developments, improving the economic feasibility of these projects.

Funding has been split equally between regional and metropolitan areas, and will be on offer to companies partnered with the government as part of the Housing Diversity Pipeline, unlocking the development potential of land.

"Unlocking affordable housing opportunities across Western Australia is a key priority for our Government,” says WA Premier Mark McGowan.

"We've listened to the housing and construction industries, and we're acting to tackle one of the biggest barriers to developing new housing. This fund will help to ensure we bring more housing online as quickly as possible right across the State, from the inner city to our regional communities."

The Australian Institute of Architects’ WA Chapter was in full praise of the announcement, and says the funding will help address a critical housing shortage including accommodation for essential workers such as frontline healthcare workers, teachers and police officers.

“The architecture profession in WA is very concerned to prevent long term urban sprawl which is severely impacting work-life balance, household budgets and the environment,” says WA Chapter President, Sandy Angie.

“We can tackle this with greater support for infill development and apartments coupled with the accessibility and urbanisation benefits of Metronet.”

WA Planning Minister Rita Saffioti says the fund will ensure populations remain in place and are accounted for with suitable housing developments.

"We want to support and encourage new developments that provide greater housing choice and create vibrant, well-connected precincts close to Perth, and to address challenges in retaining key workers in our regional areas.”

In order to apply for the funding, developers will need to meet set criteria and once approved, funds will be administered to service authorities, as a contribution to connection costs or to undertake the required works.

For more information, click here.

Jarrod Reedie

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