Medium Density Residential Design Codes

The amended Residential Design Codes Volume 1 - Part C is part of the State Government’s broader Action Plan for Planning Reform. The purpose of this Reform is to achieve more consistent planning outcomes, improve approval processes and provide great places for people to live, work and play across Western Australia.

Within this Reform, the amended Residential Design Codes Volume 1 - Part C have been designed to address several notable challenges and poor outcomes being created using the current planning framework including the following:

• A loss of existing established trees with little opportunity for the planting of new trees.
• New developments being designed with high site coverage taken by up dwellings, garages, and driveways.
• An increase in impermeable surfaces such as paving and driveways for the areas surrounding new dwellings.
• Reduced open space and loss of backyards for newer dwellings, particularly in groups of units which only provide small, covered courtyards.
• Low quality building materials being used with high energy costs and poor sustainability outcomes.

This is a significant update to the existing State Planning Policy 7.3 – Residential Design Codes Volume 1, which is more commonly referred to as the ‘R-Codes’.

This update will result in residential development applications (single houses, grouped dwellings and multiple dwellings/apartments) being assessed against new and modified provisions if they fall within the scope of Part C (refer to the table above). These new provisions are intended to provide better-quality built form outcomes by setting higher standards for residential development.

Please refer to the City’s online Intramaps system to check whether your address is located within a Medium Density area. The City’s Intramaps system can be accessed here.

Development application timeframes will remain unchanged. For residential applications (single houses, grouped dwellings and multiple dwellings/apartments comprising less than 10 units and an estimated value less than $2 million) this is generally 60 days from the date of lodgement.

There are however certain circumstances which will extend this timeframe to 90 days from the date of lodgement, for example referral of the application to an external agency such as Main Roads Western Australia.

For further information on development application timeframes, please contact the City’s Development Services Department on (08) 9205 8555.

The City will be working with the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage to review the existing local planning framework. The existing framework will continue to apply except where modified with the special transitional arrangements outlined in the new R-Codes Volume 1 - Part C.

For further information, please contact the City’s Development Services Department on (08) 9205 8555.

Additions, extensions and alterations to single and grouped dwellings will need to comply with the new R-Codes Volume 1 - Part C. Development which proposes variations to the deemed-to-comply requirements of Part C will require the lodgement of a development application to demonstrate compliance with the applicable design principles.

For further information on development application requirements, please contact the City’s Development Services Department on (08) 9205 8555.

A copy of the State Planning Policy 7.3 and associated documents can be viewed on the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritages website by clicking here.