Colin Dutton on swapping one coastline for another and why he’s not a fan of the ‘s’ word

When Colin Dutton was approached about venturing west to lead property developer Stockland’s burgeoning branch in Western Australia almost 15 years ago, one vivid image was top of mind.

“That,” he says, gesturing to the coastline, as we settle in for our lunch on the sun-drenched deck of The Shorehouse in Swanbourne.

Stockland WA general manager Col Dutton and WAtoday reporter Jesinta Burton at The Shorehouse in Swanbourne.Credit: Colin Murty

When he wasn’t overseeing the company’s developments across the Gold Coast, the then-Currumbin Surf Life Saving Club president was gazing at Surfers Paradise’s iconic skyline from the water.

And when Dutton packed up his life and made the 3600-kilometre journey to Perth in 2011 with his wife and three young children, the development along the coast – or lack thereof – was what first caught his attention.

“I couldn’t believe how underutilised the coastal strip was,” he tells me.

“It felt like the city had grown up on the river and underutilised the beach — and I was used to the opposite.”

Dutton’s infatuation with building and creating began in childhood. He recalls sitting outside and curating miniature towns using Matchbox cars and anything else he could get his hands on.

Before holding senior roles in Stockland’s Queensland operations, Dutton was charged with coordinating approvals for the Gold Coast council — which had the highest growth rate in the country.

But after 10 years, Dutton says his love of building morphed into a passion for planning and a more holistic view of the way communities come together.

Neither, though, he reveals, were his first choice of career.

“I wanted to be a rugby league star,” he tells me, laughing.

“I wanted to be [rugby league coach and former player] Mal Meninga’s centre partner, but I wasn’t quick enough or big enough or fast enough.”

With a father who was heavily involved in the local sporting clubs, and three older rugby-obsessed brothers, Dutton says his dream of playing professionally began early.

He played rugby union throughout high school and league after, dropping out of his second year of university to pursue rugby and surf life-saving full-time.

But a spate of injuries brought his dreams of a rugby career to an abrupt end, forcing Dutton to reconsider his future. Tail between his legs, he returned to university to finish his degree.

Stockland WA General Manager Col Dutton and WAtoday reporter Jesinta Burton at The Shorehouse in Swanbourne.Credit: Colin Murty.

He says it wasn’t until he began leading the development of master-planned communities from scratch that he realised the career he fell back on was the next best thing.

“It sounds a bit funny, but I distinctly remember standing in the middle of this community with large yellow trucks moving around me and feeling like that little boy in there — just with bigger trucks,” he says, as our pan-fried market fish dishes arrive.

Dutton credits his time in local government with helping him to understand the nuts and bolts of the planning process.

But he says no role has provided more insight into the system than his time at the helm of the Urban Development Institute of Australia.

Dutton led the industry body’s Gold Coast branch through the Global Financial Crisis before serving as president of the WA branch until 2023. Now, he is the UDIA’s national president.

He says he found the WA planning system easier to navigate than the federal system, lavishing praise on the McGowan-Cook government for its recent reforms.

According to Dutton, federal planning and environmental approvals would benefit from an overhaul.

“The challenge is always the execution through the system, and getting the product for the customer and the community is the hardest bit … getting through the various layers of the system can be really frustrating,” he elaborates.

He firmly rejects that the proximity of the state’s biggest developers to those in higher office is a problem, insisting being able to have an honest conversation with the powers that be is critical.

Some critics believe the gaping disparity between the WA government’s infill-promoting policies and bush-rezoning actions have enabled Perth’s ballooning urban footprint — and the proximity of developers to political heavyweights has exacerbated the issue.

But Dutton says it’s not that simple.

“I’m not a huge fan of the word ‘sprawl’,” he says, as I attempt to broach the subject.

The Pan-fried market fish at The Shorehouse in Swanbourne.Credit: Colin Murty.

“There’s a whole lot of planning that goes into creating those suburbs. We’re involved in all four corridors of Perth and in infill as well, but so much work goes into planning and preparing infrastructure.

“There are fantastic developers in Perth with great products but, post-COVID, particularly high-rise, getting them off the ground is just not feasible.”

With much of the city surrounded by the detached housing Perth has become obsessed with, Dutton points out the challenge in amalgamating sites to create infill projects in the appropriate areas.

He says the issue is cost, and declares medium to high density projects rarely stack up financially outside the western suburbs.

But Stockland is dabbling in both, developing 20,000 stand-alone lots as the company completes 97 medium density terrace houses in Glendalough and prepares to build more in Beaconsfield.

Dutton assures me Stockland’s strategy involves a mix of infill and greenfield developments in the future, and believes the current housing crisis will be a catalyst for innovation in terms of housing stock and the diversification of the product mix.

“Historically, it’s been a lot of three to four bedroom double brick houses — a study a few years ago suggested it was 88 per cent of the build in Perth,” he says.

“That’s the exact reverse in the eastern states … so there’s opportunity there for innovation, not just in the types of materials used but the product mix.”

Not that he envies those tasked with governing how we tackle the housing supply shortage and affordability issue.

The nature of his job might require him to engage with it, but Dutton says he swore off a career in politics early, raised in a home he says would temporarily serve as a ward office at election time.

His family was heavily involved in the Labor Party, and Dutton recalls being roped into handing out how to vote cards and conducting letterbox drops.

“I think it pushed me away from getting involved later,” he admits.

“It just seemed so full on. You’re dealing with politics in your career every day, every week, so you have to take some interest in it, but I’m certainly not as passionate as they were about getting involved.”

And in the next breath, he lays bare a jam-packed weekly schedule that fits well within the realm of “full on”.

Stockland WA General Manager Col Dutton at The Shorehouse in Swanbourne.Credit: Colin Murty.

With seven active projects and four more about to get under way, Dutton’s diary is filled with meetings with everyone from government officials to contractors and builders.

He rarely works from home, he tells me, but did today because the venue for our lunch is close by, and he balances his busy day job with his responsibilities at the helm of the UDIA.

“I like to map out my week each week to stay on track and retain balance,” he tells me.

His love of the water hasn’t wavered, he tells me, and he still makes time to swim laps three times a week — having trained for and completed several Rottnest Channel Swims.

“Swimming, it takes your mind off things,” he says.

“It feels cathartic, and you feel good about it. I usually swim at night, and sometimes I’m the last person out of the pool.”

As we push our plates away and gather our things, I’m curious about whether life in Perth is the oasis he envisaged, or whether he intends to venture back to Queensland.

“Both my wife and I have got family in the Gold Coast and northern New South Wales, so we still have pressure every time we go home for Christmas,” he says.

“But our whole lives are built around Perth, so I don’t see that changing anytime soon.”

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