Dan Wilkie

Demand for office developments outside the CBD is spiking as top-quality buildings hit the market at the right price.

BEING a good employer is not about providing everyday staff perks; rather it involves committing to what the organisation can do better for its people.

WESTERN Australia’s homebuilders and renovators did it tough during 2008-09 despite rapid national population growth, according to a new report by the Housing Industry Association.

The Master Builders Association has warned the state government’s decision to place builders’ warranty insurance in the hands of two providers will result in rising costs of construction, which will ultimately be passed on to homebuyers.

NEW office developments and demand from the mining sector will result in a finely balanced year for Perth’s CBD office market, according to the latest research from analysts CB Richard Ellis.

CONSTRUCTION of the $2 billion Fiona Stanley Hospital is on track, with Health Minister Kim Hames unveiling the final hospital designs last week.

THE Property Council of Australia says the state government’s development plan for Hope Valley’s Latitude 32 industrial zone is a good first step to alleviating long-term industrial land shortages, but falls short in addressing short-term needs.

Key development sites could kick-start a rejuvenation of Old Perth Road in Bassendean.

Health minister Kim Hames said planning for the redevelopment of Royal Perth Hospital is well under way, refuting claims from the opposition spokesperson for health that the redevelopment was in doubt.

Aspiring manganese miner Mesa Minerals has cancelled its extraordinary general meeting scheduled for tomorrow after significant shareholder Mighty River International requested resolutions for the meeting be withdrawn.

IN just over a decade in the market, Peard Real Estate Group has established itself as one of Perth’s most successful locally owned and operated real estate groups.

THE state government’s new Office of Land and Housing Supply will have the power to work across other government agencies and local governments to ensure timely delivery of land.

BOUTIQUE homebuilder Averna Homes has made an almost-instant impact on Western Australia’s residential building sector since its inception in 2007.

THE Building Solutions journey began in December 2004 as a business idea shared between two friends.

THE City of Stirling says all the boxes have been ticked for the revitalisation of Scarborough and it is now up to the private sector to deliver new amenity to the seaside suburb.

A RIPPLE effect from the federal government’s proposed super profits tax on mining is creating uncertainty in a transportable and modular building sector that is just tracking back to normal after the damaging impact of the global financial crisis.

A CONSORTIUM of local government councils is taking the final steps to develop 170 hectares of land at Tamala Park in Perth’s northern suburbs.

Herdsman Business Park has emerged as the big winner in a state government shakeup of office leasing commitments.

A HOST of ambitious plans to improve the city’s central business district is set to be unveiled for public discussion by the City of Perth.

THE City of Perth is poised to inject new life into the Hay and Murray street malls by launching a strategy to re-utilise forgotten upper level space.

LAUNCHING an emergency breakdown service for houses instead of cars may seem to many to be a novel application of ‘roadside’ assist.

The Housing Industry Forecasting Group has tipped housing starts will increase by 20 per cent over the next year, followed by a 5 per cent fall in 2011.

IN A milestone week for underground tunnel projects in Perth, the Northbridge Link reached its first landmark with the launch of the tender process to sink the rail line, and the Graham Farmer Freeway turned ten.

Bill Marmion is determined to make the best of an unexpected opportunity.

A LIBRARY in Mosman Park and a small home in the Swan Valley have been launched as showcase projects to illustrate the effectiveness and affordability of environmentally sustainable design.

The family company of mining magnate Andrew Forrest has been nominated to deliver a 72-apartment project in Karratha.

Traffic congestion around the Wellington Street train station will persist for another two months, after Transport Minister Simon O'Brien confirmed the Horseshoe Bridge re-opening had been delayed.

The cost for sinking the railway line for the Northbridge Link has blown out by $100 million, months before a contractor is nominated to begin the project.

Housing affordability could become the victim of Western Australia’s economic growth.

WESTERN Australia’s town planners have shifted their focus from metropolitan residential planning to infrastructure and regional projects as a result of lingering effects of the financial crisis.

NDUSTRY has praised the state government for attempting to streamline the planning process, but is concerned reform won’t come in time to avert a land supply shortage.

PRIVATELY owned property developer and investment firm, The Lester Group, has backed its positive view of the commercial property market by agreeing to buy an $8.5 million Subiaco office building.