Bayswater Deputy Mayor Elli Petersen-Pik says blaming councils for housing crisis is ‘misleading’ and ‘wrong’

Bayswater deputy mayor Elli Petersen-Pik says the increase in construction cost has not been mentioned by the State Government following its recent announcement to side line councils in planning for 35,000 new homes around train stations. In a social media post Cr Petersen-Pik said the State Government’s decision to take planning control of an 800m radius around the new Morley train station overlooked the real reasons high-density housing was not progressing. “Any suggestion that ALL local governments are to blame for the housing crisis and we are ALL ‘NIMBYs’ is wrong and misleading,” he said in his post. “Our city approved, during the last financial year, 99 per cent of lodged planning applications.” Cr Petersen-Pik said development delays were usually driven by construction market conditions, not purely council decisions. “Many projects are not going ahead simply because of the current challenging construction market,” he said. In his post he used examples including Vicinity removing proposed residential towers from the Morley Galleria redevelopment, and a previously approved nine-storey Maylands development being stalled because the developer was waiting for the market to improve. Cr Petersen-Pik said the city had in fact supported increased density around the new train station, including developing a new Morley Station Precinct Structure Plan that he said aimed to deliver higher-density housing, better streetscapes and new commercial opportunities. “It looks like our new plan might not be approved by the minister... and WAPC will prepare their own ‘Improvement Scheme’ for that area.” he said. Minister for Planning and Lands John Carey said he had been “repeatedly” on the record that the feasibility of delivering some medium to high density projects had become much more challenged during and after COVID, in part due to rising construction costs. “The truth is that there are currently feasible medium density projects that could not be delivered on some of these sites due to restrictive zoning, including townhouses and group dwellings,” Mr Carey said. “Additionally, our government is doing everything it can to get apartment projects off the ground, including covering the upfront costs associated with connecting to utilities through our $80 million Infrastructure Development Fund.” Mr Carey said the Morley Station Precinct Structure Plan would be “taken into consideration” when establishing the Morley station precinct. “The establishment of all station precincts will also involve consultation with the community and local government, including a 90-day advertising period for the draft improvement schemes,” he said. Mr Carey told The Sunday Times that in some instances, councils had been hesitant to allow high-rise housing developments in their areas, prompting the Government to act. He said the reforms would remove barriers to developing those areas. “While some local governments have taken steps to update planning frameworks around train stations, progress has been slow, and in many cases, density settings are far too low,” Mr Carey said. Bayswater Mayor Filomena Piffaretti said the city had a strong working relationship with the State Government and supported density around train stations. “The city is committed to increasing housing diversity within walking distance of the Morley train station,” she said. Ms Piffaretti said that in July 2025 the council approved the Draft Morley Station Precinct Structure Plan and Scheme Amendment and it had partnered with the State Government to develop and co-fund the plan. “Our vision includes higher-density housing options near the Morley train station, enhanced streetscapes and more commercial opportunities to support local businesses,” she said. “The city has submitted the council-endorsed documents to the Western Australian Planning Commission and the Minister for Planning for their consideration.”