Multimillion-dollar student accommodation proposed for Perth’s western suburbs

A new $30 million student accommodation build could be around the corner for Perth’s western suburbs, as international student numbers at WA’s universities continue to rise.

The development application for the Crawley build, near the University of Western Australia, was received by the Western Australian Planning Commission and will be open for public comment until August 19.

An artist impression of the proposed build.

The nine-storey development would include 199 one-bed studios, communal lounge areas on each level, a gym, multipurpose wellness room, outdoor terrace and pool and 17 car bays.

If approved, it would provide additional housing options for students, particularly regional and international students, in an area close to public transit, amenities, and the Perth city centre.

Increased student accommodation has become more important than ever over the past few years as the city’s housing crisis deepens and international student numbers increase.

“Coupled with the strategic importance of UWA, this locality warrants a greater scale of development density to support a growing population and demand for residential dwellings and student accommodation facilities,” the development application reads.

“The introduction of new private student housing opportunities reduces demand by existing students on traditional housing options such as single houses or grouped dwellings.

“This development provides dedicated student accommodation, allowing other dwellings to be directed to support housing the growing population or for redevelopment.”

For the month of June, the rental vacancy rate in Perth was just 0.5 per cent according to Real Estate Institute of WA data.

At the same time the number of international students studying in WA totalled 59,053 for the January to April period – an increase of 44 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Perth’s CBD has the highest concentration of international students across the metropolitan area, with 14.4 per cent of rental properties taken up by this group.

Student numbers from overseas have been increasing for WA since 2022 after the pandemic resulted in a decline as borders closed.

At a conference in June hosted by the Student Accommodation Council, it was confirmed that more student accommodation was desperately needed, particularly in or near the inner-city.

International Education Association of Australia chief executive Phil Honeywood said the industry was playing catch-up on purpose-built student accommodation.

He believed you could quadruple the number of beds in the CBD alone and still not meet the demand, particularly with the ECU city campus near-opening.

A new $80 million student accommodation hub was the most recent approval for the Perth CBD, and will provide a further 835 beds.

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