Summit Homes Group is proud to have been named the 2025 HIA Professional Major Builder for Western Australia, marking our sixth consecutive year receiving this prestigious industry award.
WA’s Planning and Lands Minister John Carey has announced sweeping proposed reforms to the Residential Design Codes (R-Codes) — the most significant overhaul since the codes were introduced more than three decades ago. Beyond the headlines, the proposed changes translate into real, practical benefits for anyone considering a development project. Here’s what stands to improve.
More sites become viable
The standout change is to the R20 and below subdivision threshold. Currently, subdividing requires an average lot size of 900sqm across the resulting lots. The proposed reform replaces averaging with a straightforward minimum lot size, potentially allowing for lot of 700sqm zoned R20 to be subdivided.
In practical terms, this expands the pool of viable development sites. The State Government estimates more than 50,000 existing Perth properties could become newly eligible for subdivision — sites that fall just short of the current requirement but would clear the proposed 700sqm bar.
Greater yield potential
For medium-density sites, the proposed changes point toward more homes per project:
- Baseline heights across medium and high-density areas more broadly are also proposed to be redefined.
- Local Planning Schemes will likely be required to adopt a minimum of R30 density at their next statutory review, expanding the number of sites that can support higher-density development.
Lower holding and delivery costs
Faster approvals and reduced requirements mean less time and cost between acquisition and delivery:
- Single-home approval timeframes are proposed to drop from 60 to 30 days.
- Minimum parking requirements for apartments and granny flats are proposed to be removed, and visitor parking numbers reduced — freeing up site area currently locked into car bays for additional dwellings or amenity.
- Street setbacks may move to minimums only rather than averaging, and retaining/excavation limits could increase to 1.0m — both giving designers more usable building envelope to work with.
- Site cover rules for medium and high-density development are under detailed review, with potential to further improve achievable floor area.
A simpler path through the codes
The R-Codes are proposed to be split into three separate volumes — Single House, Grouped Dwelling and Multiple Dwelling — reducing the duplication and cross-referencing that currently slows down design and approvals.
The bottom line for developers
Taken together, these changes point toward more eligible sites, higher achievable yield on medium-density projects, and faster, less costly approvals — a meaningfully improved feasibility picture for infill development across established Perth suburbs.
These are proposed changes only. Public consultation is expected later in 2026, with final gazettal targeted for mid-2027 — but understanding how they could apply to a site now puts you ahead of the market once they land.
Talk to Summit Developments
Every site is different. Summit Developments can assess how these proposed changes could affect the development potential and feasibility of a specific property.
Get in touch with our team for a development feasibility assessment.
This article is based on proposals announced by the WA Government on 2 July 2026 (official media statement). Details are subject to change through public consultation and final gazettal, and this content will be updated as the reforms progress. This is general information only and does not constitute planning, legal or financial advice — please seek independent professional advice specific to your property.
