Smith Street Build-to-Rent Project - Frequently Asked Questions

The development site at 49 Smith Street in Highgate is part of the State Government’s Housing Diversity Program and will see the transformation of the former Stirling Towers public housing complex into Western Australia's first affordable Build-to-Rent project. 

The Smith Street Build-to-Rent pilot project presents an innovative solution to deliver social, affordable and market rental housing on a government-owned site. The project will be undertaken in three stages: demolition and preparation of the site; construction of the development; and a ground lease for management of the complex. 

The Smith Street Build-to-Rent project has reached key milestones: 

• the contract awarded for demolition of the former Stirling Towers as well as other associated site readiness works
• development approval for Build-to-Rent project.

The project in inner northern Perth will see the former public housing site transformed into new apartments of one and two-bedroom social, affordable and specialist disability rental units, well located to Perth CBD, transport, shopping and other amenities. 

The State Government is tackling a number of large-scale redevelopment projects as part of a major urban renewal process to boost the State's housing supply.

The innovative Smith Street Build-to-Rent project will deliver the following benefits: 

• integrate new development with the existing broader Highgate community
• deliver a range of housing options to support a diverse community
• provide community spaces that encourage social interaction
• enable the State to retain ownership of a strategically located asset, via the ground lease model
• develop a sustainable and replicable Build-to-Rent model for the delivery of social, affordable and market housing in partnership with a Community Housing Provider consortium on government-owned land
• deliver financially viable housing outcomes for a broad range of the community
• deliver a Western Australian market-leading best-practice housing service model which is consistent with relevant legislation and housing policy.

The contractor commenced in August 2024. Demolition and site preparation works are anticipated to be completed in the second quarter of 2025. 

The demolition program includes onsite works by Western Power to relocate and replace existing infrastructure from the site. An integrated coordinated approach has been implemented to minimise disruption to residents.

Surrounding residents will be kept updated on the demolition timeframes and works as the project progresses.

There are two planned power outages occurring in early May 2025. Notifications for outages will be sent to the affected customers from a Western Power mobile phone number or email account.  

Western Power will try to minimise the length of these outages. 

For further information: 

Contact: Customer Service Team - Telephone: 13 10 87 - Western Power website

Department of Communities has recently appointed Brajkovich Demolition & Salvage (WA) (BD&S) a suitably qualified contractor to undertake site readiness works, including demolition, site and security management. 

BD&S will demolish both existing buildings floor by floor using excavators. No explosives will be used in the demolition process. Prior to demolition, BD&S removed any hazardous materials for appropriate disposal.

BD&S will comply with the work hours stipulated in the demolition permit to be obtained from Communities with feedback from the City of Vincent prior to works commencing. 

It is expected work hours will be from 7am to 7pm Monday through to Friday with Saturdays potentially utilised for non-invasive work.

A Traffic Management Plan has been developed by BD&S and approved by Communities and the City of Vincent prior to works commencing.

Given the scale of the demolition works, it is expected that there will be noise. However, this will be managed with the majority of works occurring during the specified hours of 7am to 7pm Monday through to Friday and if required, Saturdays.

Dust is an expected outcome of demolition works. BD&S will take the necessary steps to manage the dust, including erecting appropriate fencing and using water as a suppressant.

Hazardous materials are present in the buildings, as was typical of construction materials at the time of its development. BD&S is licensed by the State Government to remove and dispose of asbestos in accordance with all State and Federal laws, and to the highest level of safety standards. 

BD&S has also engaged an environmental consultant to independently monitor the removal of hazardous materials throughout the demolition process to ensure compliance with the necessary safety standards.

Hazardous materials contained in the buildings will be properly handled and disposed of by BD&S and overseen by an independent environmental consultant.

BD&S places a high priority on recycling waste materials and will use their own recycling plants along with facilities in close proximity to the project to maximise recycling. Empty oil and chemical containers such as metal or plastic drums will be returned to the supplier for reuse or recycled where possible.

Once demolition has been completed and the site cleared from all debris to an acceptable standard, the temporary facilities, such as the site office and toilets will be removed from the site. 

It is proposed, the new development will be undertaken by a consortium consisting of Community Housing Limited (CHL), a registered Community Housing Provider in partnership with Tetris Capital (CHL Consortium). 

The development application for construction of new dwellings was advertised on City of Vincent's website and development approval has been granted.

Further site investigations will be undertaken prior to the finalisation of designs, however, the development will include a mix of high-quality contemporary apartments and will take into consideration the local character of Highgate.

Through the planning process the local community had the opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed design for consideration. Perspectives of the proposed design for new dwellings were available on City of Vincent's website.

Information on the development application for the construction of new dwellings is as follows: 

109 multiple dwellings consisting of: 

• 42 one bedroom dwellings, and
• 67 two bedroom dwellings. 

The dwellings will provide a mix of social and affordable housing as follows: 

• 78 of the dwellings will be social housing,
• 22 of the dwellings will be affordable housing, and
• 9 of the dwellings will be specialist disability and onsite overnight assistance accommodation. 

The number of constructed dwellings may change according to development approval, detailed design and construction considerations.

The lemon scented gum on the northeastern boundary is considered to be a high value tree and will be retained. All other existing trees on site will be removed and replaced with new landscaping design. 

The design will include significant planting areas and tree canopy across the site to provide amenity for the residents and ample shade within communal open spaces.

A tender process to identify a suitably qualified builder will be undertaken by the CHL Consortium as the demolition works progress. Subject to the appointment of a suitable builder, it is anticipated for construction of the new dwellings is to commence in the second half of 2025.

The development will be home to a diverse and vibrant community, with a proportion of homes retained for social housing. Housing will be suitable for a range of people including seniors, small families, couples, singles and people living with a disability. 

Social housing provides vital support to the most vulnerable people in Western Australia. It is important that social housing tenants are treated fairly and sensitively, and every effort is made to support these tenancies to succeed.

Monitored security cameras are present on the site with activations triggering security patrols, in addition to scheduled static guards.  

Should you wish to report any issues at the site please email admin@BDEMO.com.au or phone 0418 903 040 or 0437 013 459. 

We encourage you to support us in keeping your neighbourhood safe. If you see, or hear of, any suspicious or illegal behaviour, please contact WA Police immediately on 131 444 to report the incident or to request policy assistance.

The camera is a solar powered unit approximately 8m high and will be limited to recording activities within the lot boundaries of the Stirling Towers site. The timelapse camera will be in place for the demolition works and expected to remain on site for the construction of new dwellings. The camera will not cause disruption to neighbouring properties.

Communities will continue to keep all neighbours informed on the progress of the project via the website or direct correspondence.