The City of Nedlands has rejected a proposal to increase residential density along Bedford Street, between Dalkeith Road and Baird Avenue, following objections from local residents and concerns about the timing of further planning changes.

Councillors voted 7–2 against a recommendation from council officers to support the rezoning of five residential lots from R10 to R40.

The proposed amendment would have reduced the average residential lot size from approximately 1,000 square metres to 220 square metres, with the minimum lot size decreasing from 875 to 180 square metres.

If approved, the rezoning could have allowed between 20 and 45 dwellings to be developed across the affected properties.

Councillor Rebecca Coghlan moved the successful motion opposing the amendment, arguing that the proposal should not proceed before the City completed its review of the local planning strategy.

Coghlan also raised concerns that approving a site-specific density increase could establish a precedent for similar applications elsewhere in Nedlands.

Councillor Rachel Kristensen questioned whether additional residential density was necessary at the location, given the amount of housing already permitted under existing planning controls.

The State Government's housing projections require approximately 4,320 additional dwellings in Nedlands by 2050.

Kristensen said information provided by City administrators indicated that approximately 1,160 dwellings had already been delivered using around 5.5 per cent of the municipality's available dwelling capacity.

Based on those figures, she argued that the City had sufficient capacity to exceed its projected housing requirements without immediately approving further site-specific rezoning.

The proposal attracted 19 objections, with residents raising concerns about increased traffic, parking pressures, loss of trees, privacy and changes to the existing residential character.

Councillor Glenn Ruscoe acknowledged those concerns but also pointed to the need for additional housing and the site's location between higher-density development near Stirling Highway and established lower-density neighbourhoods.

He said the existing council-endorsed planning strategy already recognised the area as a transition between different residential densities.

Other councillors maintained that further changes should be considered through a municipality-wide planning review rather than individual applications.

Following the decision, the City planned community workshops to discuss future housing development and planning priorities.

The first workshop was scheduled for 15 October 2026 at Mt Claremont Community Centre, followed by another at Adam Armstrong Pavilion on 22 October.

The council's decision means the proposed R40 rezoning will not proceed with council support at this stage, leaving the existing R10 planning controls in place unless subsequently amended through the statutory planning process.