It wasn’t that long ago when Australians used to live on a quarter-acre block, had
a Hills Hoist clothesline in the backyard, and enough space to play a game of cricket
with the neighbours.
Gone are those days in the city of Perth.
The Western Australian State Government and the Perth property industry are hoping that
more than 1.5 million people will choose so-called micro-lots, that is, lots as small as 80 square
metres.
That’s about the size of a modest two-bedroom unit.
Former chief executive of the Urban Development Institute of Australia, Allison Hailes, spoke
about micro-lots a couple of years ago just as they were gaining traction.
She said,
“The houses that are being developed for these micro-lots are using very clever design.
The house floor space might be 200 square metres.
So we are seeing two-bedroom or even three-bedroom houses being built on micro-lots.
Other designs that I think will emerge more in the Perth market are where you have a home
office on the ground floor and then living space and a bedroom on the first floor.”
Perth resident, Glenda Stephens, was one of the first people to live in a micro-lot of
just 80 square metres.
She recently told the ABC,
“They are light, they are open, they are very well designed.
They don't feel cramped at all.
I couldn't have afforded this quality of house on a big block.
Everyone comes in and is surprised.
They are expecting it to be really cramped.
I'm definitely converted from my five-acre lot that I thought I could never leave.”
Not everyone is comvinced, however.
Here are some quotes from a few Perth residents.
“Tiny house?
Yes.
On a tiny block?
No.
You need some outdoor space to compensate for the tight living quarters.”
“No way.
People need space.
Children need areas to run free and teenagers and young adults need their own areas.
We live in this wide brown land so let us enjoy it.”
“I worry about privacy and noise issues living so close together.”
The Property Council of Australia’s WA Executive Director, Sandra Brewer, commented on people’s
initial reactions to micro-lots based on a survey she commissioned.
She said,
“Quotes we heard were 'it makes me think of overcrowding' and 'a tightly packed neighbourhood
where no-one has any yard and your house takes up 99% of your block'.
Their natural reaction is to imagine urban density in its extreme and to think 'I will
be less safe'.”
But Ms Brewer also said that when survey participants were asked about what they do want in a
neighbourhood, many came back with features that are compatible with high density living.
She said,
“What people want from their suburb is to feel safe and to be able to get around easily
— to be able to go down to the shops, pick up the kids from school, on a whim to be able
to go out and about.
They want a cultural vibe, things going on, busy cafes.
People are beginning to recognise that more people living in and attracted to an area
makes it viable for new shops and cafes and services to thrive but also stay open longer.”
Another Perth resident, Jorja Woolton, is currently trialling apartment living to see
if it suits her lifestyle.
She moved from her family home in Perth's southern suburbs to a 54-square-metre one-bedroom
apartment in Rivervale close to the CBD.
She said,
“There's always so much around apartments whereas living in a house, in a suburb, you've
got to drive to everything.
Here there are always lots of cafes and everything is close by.
I think I could definitely see myself living in an apartment.
I think it's very much something I would prefer over living in a house.
Back home, it would take me at least an hour to and from work on the freeway.
I work in Subiaco, so some days from the apartment, it was just 15 minutes — super quick.
I spent less time driving and more time doing my own thing after work, which was nice.”
Ms Stephens is convinced that micro-lots are the key to housing affordability.
She said,
“For people to have their dream of having their own home, it had to change, it had to
become something that was achievable and affordable for people.
In a perfect world, everyone would want to have the quarter-acre block that you used
to have, but it's not going to happen.”
What are your thoughts?
Would you live on a tiny micro-lot?
Are micro-lots the answer to housing affordability?
Or are there just too many people in Australian cities putting pressure on local resources
and infrastructure?
Is population growth the real issue?