Esperance Leading the Way on Tiny Houses

Tiny houses are an affordable, sustainable housing option, offering the attractive possibility of fast construction. Unsurprisingly, they are growing in popularity in Australia. However, when the Esperance Shire Council looked into a Tiny House on Wheels Policy for Esperance, they were surprised to find that no Australian local government had a planning policy in place for these small, semi-permanent dwellings. The Shire of Esperance went ahead with their own Local Planning Policy - Tiny Houses using a draft policy from the Australian Tiny House Association, and became unexpected trailblazers in the process.

With a critical shortage of rental properties in the Esperance region, the Esperance Shire Council expects the new Tiny House Policy will provide more residential and short-term housing options. At the same time, the council has implemented the Chalet Development Outside of Townsites Local Planning Policy, allowing eco-friendly chalets to be installed on rural land. This policy is expected to alleviate the pressure on tourist accommodation in town. Richard Hindley, Shire of Esperance Manager of Building, Planning, and Land Projects, says there has already been significant interest in both new policies. Richard notes they may be amended to make them as user friendly as possible, and the Shire are happy to have made the opening move on creating new housing policies for our region.

A ‘tiny house on wheels’ is defined as a semi-permanent dwelling on wheels that can be connected to water and power. It is different to a caravan in that it is built to be a permanent, self-contained dwelling that can be moved if required, whereas a caravan is designed to be easily towed. Some benefits of tiny houses are that they are affordable, quick to install, sustainable, have lower energy costs, and are much easier to clean and maintain than a regular house. They can also be moved if required, offering flexibility in the long run. As these buildings are designed to be transportable, they must be small enough to go on the road. This means the maximum width is 2.5 metres and the maximum length is 10.5 metres. Due to their growing popularity, there are many tiny house designs available and several Western Australian manufacturers, giving those interested in purchasing a tiny house plenty of options.

Local Alissa Mack is currently considering a tiny house. Alissa and her fiancé can see many benefits to having a small, transportable house, such as the ability to own their own house without incurring a huge debt. The couple also want a sustainable house with minimal energy costs, and a tiny house provides huge flexibility for being able to live off the grid. “I also really like the idea of living a minimalist, simplified life, especially after getting away from the busy pace of life in Perth,” Alissa says. “And with a transportable house, we have a lot more options as our lives change in the future.”

Tiny houses can be placed on town or rural blocks, or used as granny flats alongside current buildings. “They can go anywhere that you could put a single house,” Richard says. The Shire of Esperance’s new Tiny House Policy states that people in the Esperance region who want to put a tiny house on wheels on their property don’t need to get building approval. While planning approval is still required, Richard says that this is a simple process.

The President of the Australian Tiny House Association, Janine Strachan, acknowledges the Esperance Shire Council’s leadership in implementing this new policy. “We understand that other councils are observing this action taken by the Shire of Esperance, and it will only be a matter of time for other councils to follow in Western Australia and throughout other Australian states,” she says. As an affordable and sustainable model for housing, it is likely that tiny houses will continue to grow in popularity, and it is exciting to see how and where they will be utilised in Esperance.

Find Out More

For more information about the Shire of Esperance’s new policy, visit www.esperance.wa.gov.au/ news/2022/dec/22/big-ideas-tiny-houses or contact the friendly staff in the Shire’s Planning Department.