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 development will deliver 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 development will include a mix of high-quality contemporary apartments and will take into consideration the local character of Highgate.

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:

• 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
• 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.

Demolition and site preparation works are now completed. Works were completed in July 2025 by Brajkovich Demolition & Salvage (WA) (BD&S) a suitably qualified contractor.

The development will include a mix of high-quality contemporary apartments and will take into consideration the local character of Highgate.

It is proposed the 109 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. 

A tender process identified Perkins (WA) Pty Ltd as the preferred builder. Perkins are an experienced builder and have delivered projects of a similar scale, value and construction methodology.

Construction will commence in August 2025, with practical completion scheduled for Q4 2027.

The innovative development has been designed by Architectus.

The project has an anticipated completion date of late 2027.

The lemon scented gum on the northeastern boundary is a high value tree and will be retained.

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.

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

This type of housing supports households on low to moderate incomes (around $62,000 for singles and $86,000 for couples) who are ineligible for social housing but unable to afford current market rental housing to access a suitable home.

This might include people who work in retail, hospitality, health support and aged care.

Anyone interested in applying for affordable housing should contact Community Housing Limited on 1300 245 468. They will be able to assist and advise further.

Monitored security cameras are present on the site with activations triggering security patrols  

Should you wish to report any issues at the site please contact:

Site Manager: Chris Boyle, Perkins Builder, Mobile: 0438 477 126.

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 Department will continue to keep all neighbours informed on the progress of the project via this webpage or direct correspondence.

If you have any further queries about the project, please email smithstreetbuildtorent@dohw.wa.gov.au