City of Vincent refuses Lord Street short-stay conversion

City of Vincent councillors have refused an application to turn No. 5/288, Lot 5, STR: 67450, on Lord Street in Perth into unhosted short-term rental accommodation. The decision was made at the council briefing on 9 June 2026, with Mayor Alison Xamon absent for the item after declaring a proximity interest.

The application sought a change of use from multiple dwelling to unhosted short-term rental accommodation under the City of Vincent Local Planning Scheme No. 2 and the Metropolitan Region Scheme. Officers recommended refusal.

The report said the apartment is orientated away from the Lord Street commercial frontage and towards Windsor Street, Aria Lane and adjoining dwellings. That area was described as residential, with permanent occupation and lower ambient activity.

Councillors were told the short-stay use would introduce guest turnover, irregular arrivals and departures, and movement through shared communal areas. The report said those patterns were not compatible with the established character of the locality and would be detrimental to the amenity of adjoining owners and residential properties.

A third reason for refusal was that the proposed use was not appropriately located or designed to reduce noise and disturbance. The apartment has outdoor living areas that directly interface with Windsor Street, neighbouring apartments and the communal garden area.

Councillor Reece Wheadon asked whether the strata company had lodged a submission and whether the body corporate bylaws allowed the use. Officers said no submission was received from the strata company or strata manager. They also said the administration did not have a copy of the scheme bylaws and had not assessed the application against them.

Officers said a planning approval would not override any strata bylaws, and strata bylaws would not remove the need for planning approval where one is required. If the strata scheme prohibits or controls short-term rental accommodation, they said, that is a separate matter for the owner and strata company to resolve.

The planning assessment also considered the apartment’s relationship with other homes in the complex. Officers said there were no dwellings directly above the subject apartment. They said its Bedroom 2 sits above the ensuite and robe of Unit 3, and that the balconies overlap.

The same briefing also dealt with a proposal for three grouped dwellings at No. 29 Green Street, Mount Hawthorn. The supplied extract does not clearly state the final vote on that item.

For residents near Lord Street, the ruling keeps the apartment in permanent residential use rather than adding short-stay guest traffic, shared-area use and turnover to the Windsor Street edge of the complex. The minutes frame it as a planning decision under the city’s scheme, not a strata dispute.