Industrial land may not grab headlines, but it underpins WA’s economy. In this TBB Insights feature, Jarrod Ross, Associate Director at TBB Planning, explores how Perth and Peel can move from shortage to opportunity by planning industrial land for the next 25 years.
Why Industrial Land Matters
Here’s the simple truth: Perth and Peel can’t wing industrial land anymore. For years, industrial land has quietly underpinned the region’s economy, providing space for logistics, manufacturing, and all the behind-the-scenes activity that keeps the city moving.
But the era of improvisation is over. The region’s chronic shortage of industrial land is not just the result of natural growth - it stems from a lack of clear strategic direction in planning and delivery. Short-term fixes can no longer substitute for the kind of coordinated, forward-thinking approach required to meet both current and future demand. Until now, insufficient forward planning has left both Perth and Peel unable to assemble the right ‘industrial land bank’ to sustain long-term industrial activity, jeopardising business investment, supply chains, and broader economic productivity.
The vacancy has now dropped to record lows, rents have climbed, and businesses are finding it harder than ever to secure a site. Vacancy rates aren’t just a number on a graph; they are the canary in the coal mine, signalling that supply has failed to keep pace with demand. Unless we act with foresight, the next 25 years could see Perth struggling to capture the very industries that are shaping the global economy.
Industrial land may not be glamorous, but it is the foundation stone of a modern economy.
Where We Are Now
The last time Western Australia put serious thought into industrial land in the Perth and Peel region was over a decade ago. The Economic and Employment Lands Strategy (2012) gave us a framework, and DevelopmentWA along with major industrial developers like Hesperia have done important work in rolling out key estates.
In 2021, DevelopmentWA also prepared its Industrial Lands Strategy (2021), which provided a ten-year outlook on land supply, demand pressures and servicing requirements. That body of work sharpened the conversation, highlighting where new estates needed to come online, where headworks were lagging, and how public–private partnerships could play a role in unlocking constrained land. It was a valuable step forward, but it was necessarily framed as an implementation plan for the coming decade.
What we now need is the next evolution: a metropolitan-wide, long-horizon strategy that looks out 25 years and ties land directly to infrastructure delivery.
The Changing Context
The world has changed quickly. The growth corridors of the 2010s are maturing, freight patterns are shifting with the Westport project, and new industries (from data centres to advanced manufacturing and renewable energy hubs) are arriving with demands no one was planning for back in 2012. Perth cannot rely on old roadmaps; it needs a refreshed strategy that plans for the city we are becoming, not the one we used to be.
Population growth alone makes this clear. The Perth and Peel region is expected to reach 3.5 million people within a generation. That means more freight, more goods produced locally, and more demand for employment lands close to workers. But this isn’t just about volume.
Industrial estates are no longer the exclusive domain of big sheds and trucks. They are evolving into complex, high-tech precincts where manufacturing is clean, automated, and globally competitive. Data centres demand huge power loads, water for cooling, and resilient digital connections. Defence industries, tied to national security commitments, require buffers and specialised facilities. Renewable energy and circular economy businesses need space for new technologies that sit awkwardly in old industrial models.
The challenge is that these uses are not interchangeable. A logistics warehouse can operate with relatively simple infrastructure, but a data centre cannot. An advanced manufacturer needs skilled labour nearby and quality design standards to attract that workforce. A recycling plant or waste-to-energy facility requires careful buffer planning to secure its social licence. In short, Perth doesn’t just need more industrial land, it needs the right types of industrial land, in the right places, with employees housed close by, with the right services, at the right time.
That’s where a coordinated strategy matters. Today, vacancy is so tight that businesses often have no choice but to compromise on location or delay their plans. Large operators can lock in pre-lease deals, but small and mid-tier manufacturers (the very firms that create resilient local jobs) are left behind. A rolling program of staged, serviced lots across multiple corridors would restore flexibility. It would mean an innovator with a new product line doesn’t have to wait years for subdivision and development, or worse, relocate interstate.
Each growth corridor has its own role to play. Neerabup is being shaped as a cleaner, higher-tech estate with an emphasis on presentation and amenity. Bullsbrook, on the edge of the north-east corridor, offers scale and freight access. Forrestdale continues to attract logistics, while the Western Trade Coast and Latitude 32 will be transformed by the relocation of container trade to Kwinana. The strategy must make these roles explicit, and then back them with hard infrastructure: power substations, water trunks, fibre networks and freight roads. Without those, industrial investigation areas and subsequent rezonings are meaningless.
Perth cannot rely on old roadmaps; it needs a strategy for the city we are becoming, not the one we used to be.
The Infrastructure Bottleneck
Infrastructure is the key, and right now it is the bottleneck. A data centre can’t operate without access to 20 megawatts of reliable power. A manufacturer can’t commit if water and wastewater won’t be available for three years. These are long-lead projects, and they can’t be delivered reactively.
A credible industrial land strategy must sit above the servicing agencies, sequencing upgrades so that industry can have confidence in timelines. It should be possible for a business to look up a corridor, see when the substation will be built, when the water will flow, and when land will be available, and make investment decisions accordingly.
People and Place Matter
At the same time, we must not lose sight of people. Advanced industries compete for skilled engineers, technicians and operators who want to work in well-designed, connected places. That means industrial estates can no longer be treated as back-of-house sprawl. They need public transport links, decent landscaping, even cafés and amenities that make them attractive places to spend time. Estates like Neerabup and the Roe Highway Logistics Park have shown that good design can lift an estate’s profile and draw in higher-value industries. That lesson should be applied across the board.
DevelopmentWA's Australian Automation Robotics Precinct - Headquarters
Looking ahead, freight will remain a defining influence. The relocation of container trade to Kwinana will redraw supply chains, elevate some corridors and diminish others. If we do not plan for intermodals, cold-chain hubs and last-mile distribution, we risk choking on our own growth. Protecting freight corridors, safeguarding buffers, and building estates that can adapt to automation are all essential parts of a 25-year outlook.
Looking Ahead: A 25-Year Industrial Strategy
The decisions made in the next few years will determine whether Perth secures the industries of the future — or falls behind.
Ultimately, this is not just about land use. It’s about WA’s economic future. If we provide serviced, well-planned industrial estates, Perth can secure investment in advanced manufacturing, data centres, renewable energy, defence and logistics. If we fail, those opportunities will go to the east coast, or offshore.
An updated industrial land strategy, owned collectively by government agencies and published with clear staging and delivery milestones, would give the development industry and service providers the confidence they need to invest.
Industrial land may not be glamorous, but it is the foundation stone of a modern economy. The decisions made in the next few years will determine whether Perth has the land and infrastructure to attract the industries of the future, or whether it falls behind. A new industrial land strategy for Perth and Peel is not just timely, it is essential.
At TBB Planning, we work with government and industry to shape strategies that balance land, infrastructure and opportunity. If you’d like to discuss how Perth’s industrial future could shape your project or investment, get in touch with our team.
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