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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →In April 2025, Patrick Gorman criticized the City of Stirling after it rejected a proposed 50-unit social housing development on Beaufort Street in Inglewood. Gorman argued that Perth needs more social and affordable housing; the mayor said the proposal had significant planning shortcomings. The disagreement was about both the need for housing and whether this particular design met local planning expectations.
What was proposed on Beaufort Street?
PerthNow reported on 11 April 2025 that the City of Stirling had rejected a proposal for a $22 million complex of 50 social housing units on an underused car park on Beaufort Street. The report said the homes were intended for people approaching or in retirement. These project details are reported by PerthNow; the original application and formal decision record are not available in the sources cited here.
The decision drew criticism from Patrick Gorman, the Perth MP and Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister at the time. He said: “It’s really frustrating when local governments look for any excuse to block housing.” His criticism reflected concern about the broader need for more social and affordable housing.
Why did the City of Stirling reject the proposal?
PerthNow reported that the council’s concerns covered several planning and design issues. They were the City’s stated reasons, not findings independently assessed here:
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- Parking: The council considered the proposal short of the required parking provision.
- Dwelling mix: It considered the mix of dwellings inadequate.
- Ground-floor activity: The plans lacked active uses at street level, such as shops, offices or restaurants.
- Heritage paperwork: The council said a demolition application required for heritage sites was missing.
- Design and local character: Planning officers considered the design inconsistent with the area’s context and character.
- Open and communal space: Mayor Mark Irwin also raised concerns about the amount of open space and communal space.
Why did Gorman and the mayor disagree?
Gorman framed the rejection as an obstacle to housing that Perth needs. Irwin rejected that characterization, describing the Beaufort Street proposal as “set up to fail.” PerthNow reported that the mayor said the council supported social housing proposals it considered well planned.
The two accounts emphasize different questions: Gorman focused on the need for social and affordable homes, while the mayor defended the council’s assessment of this proposal’s planning and design. The available reporting does not establish which view better reflects the application’s merits.
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What does later council discussion add?
City of Stirling minutes dated 13 May 2025 record a separate discussion about community concerns relating to an existing 24-unit social housing complex on Ninth Avenue in Inglewood. That complex is distinct from the proposed Beaufort Street development, and the later discussion should not be treated as the original reason for its rejection.
In the minutes, the council described a preference for proposals with support services where needed, active ground floors and varied household tenancies. This provides later context for the council’s stated approach, but it does not independently resolve the dispute over the Beaufort Street plans.
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What is known about the proposal’s status?
The available sources establish that the proposal was rejected as reported in April 2025, but they do not establish what happened to it afterward. They also do not include the original application or formal decision record, so the project details and objections above should be understood as reported statements rather than an independent review of the plans.
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