Subiaco East Units

One minute they were there and the next—gone. The West Leederville duplexes were demolished in August 2023 and despite my best efforts, there’s virtually no public record of their history. Even the NPB security guards on site had no clue about their background!

 

These photos from November 2020 (snapped just before I was asked to leave!) show the last remaining occupied duplexes near Court Place, where a handful of tenants were still living in fairly rundown conditions.

 

With almost no information to go on, it’s safe to assume these Subiaco Road duplexes were owned by the Department of Housing—or Homeswest, or whatever name they’ve given themselves these days. Like many government housing sites, it seems to have operated with very little public transparency, where anything can happen and probably does... behind closed doors where nothing needs to be explained, justified or held accountable.

 

Residential Development

The site is now earmarked for a large-scale residential development. While construction hasn’t visibly started yet, it’s expected to be completed by mid-2026.

 

In May 2023, DevelopmentWA, on behalf of the Department of Communities, called for tenders to form a development consortium and appoint a Community Housing Provider (CHP). The plan is to build 350 dwellings on the 1.08-hectare site, as part of the wider Subi East Master Plan. Around 42% of these (147 units) will be allocated for social housing.

 

Although some government sources describe the project as featuring “townhouses,” the Subi East Master Plan suggests a high-density development instead. Proposed building heights range from six storeys on the western edge to 12–17 storeys on the eastern side.

 

This higher-density approach seems to be driven in part by the adjacent Bob Hawke College, located on the eastern end of Subiaco Oval.

 

Development Update

The most recent update came from the State Government's Media Statement on 14 July 2025 but like many official announcements, it’s long-winded and vague. The takeaway: multiple housing projects are kicking off soon, community housing partners have been appointed but details are buried in the lengthy statement and honestly, it’s a lot to dig through. Maybe it's just the font and extensive choppy format which makes it too time consuming to bother with. Other than this media statement, it’s hard to find any updates on the progress of the apartment site.