opinion

Arylene Westlake-Jennings: Assumptions on young families’ home ownership desires a low blow

Arylene Westlake-JenningsThe West Australian
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Camera IconDevelopment reforms will help young families, says Arylene Westlake-Jennings. Credit: Paul Bradbury/Getty Images

In perusing the reactions to WA Premier Mark McGowan’s development reforms there was one particular comment that really stood out.

In responding to the reforms, which will hand the power to centralised administrative panels when it comes to approving multi-dwelling properties, one commentator, in what felt like a snide aside, pointed out that a family selling a four-by-two property in Alkimos wouldn’t be able to afford a new two-bedroom apartment in Subiaco because of an approximate $400,000 price deficit.

Yes, financially speaking that is true, but have we stopped to consider why?

While McGowan’s announcement admittedly came with a side of finger-pointing at the western suburbs councils, we need to remember local councils allocate R-codes in their catchments, so the idea that a 30-storey, 100-apartment complex could suddenly emerge on Marine Parade in Cottesloe is completely absurd anyway.

But that discussion about local councils’ loss of control via the reforms is not my focus here.

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That Subi apartment comment felt like a low blow to young families, many of whom likely built their first home in outer metro suburbs such as Alkimos to get a foot on the property ladder, who would probably consider an apartment closer to Perth city if they had suitable and wallet-friendly options.

And these development reforms open up that possibility — smaller, more cost-effective, high-rise apartment complexes a la Singapore that offer the opportunity for younger families to enter an otherwise prohibitive property market in areas such as the western suburbs.

And what else could that bring? Youngblood and a vibrancy that those established suburbs are in dire need of. If you and your neighbours are going to more funerals than you are 30th birthday celebrations, then perhaps it’s a sign to welcome in the new generation.

Yes, iterations of luxury apartments have tended to sprout along the riverside and coastline in recent years, but that level of investment doesn’t always have to be the case.

There are apartment options out there without all the bells and whistles of rooftop pools, cocktail lounges and on-site cinemas that are still lucrative enough for a property developer to sink its money into.

And as someone who grew up in a 79sqm apartment with my family, not having on-site facilities means you step out to visit the downstairs cafes and restaurants, meet your friends at the local dive bar, and check out the nearby entertainment where you are more than likely to bump into an upstairs neighbour.

There’s one such example being sold right now on Hay Street in East Perth, with views of the Swan River and backing on to Queens Gardens, with the CBD, Northbridge and Matagarup Bridge each an easy walk away.

An apartment in those towers cost as much as the average Alkimos 4x2, and how good is that?

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