Karridale growth already at capacity as developer pushes for Shire of Augusta-Margaret River policy review

Shire planners could be forced to significantly revise population forecasts for growth in Karridale.

At a Shire of Augusta-Margaret River council briefing session last week Karridale developer Kevin McIsaac addressed staff about forecast subdivisions reaching capacity within the next 12 months — far sooner than anticipated.

Mr McIsaac questioned the accuracy of population forecasts in the shire’s Karridale Hamlet Settlement Strategy in the face of strong real estate interest from buyers.

“Will the council actually be reviewing those figures and seeking to amend them?” he asked.

The developer said the only remaining subdivision near the primary school was expected to sell its 31 lots by this time next year, with the settlement strategy undercooking appetite for people moving to the Karridale area.

“I’m fully confident that will be gone,” he said.

“That means there will be no stock in Karridale.”

Mr McIsaac said if the KHSS went unaddressed, the region faced an ongoing “supply and demand mismatch”.

However, planning and regulatory services manager Matt Cuthbert said the policy was slated for a review by 2027 already.

“That’s a very convenient time to do that given there’s a census in 2026 so we will have those numbers,” he told the meeting.

“The shire is a highly desirable place for people to want to live.”

The policy’s initial development a decade ago had some residents concerned about pushing growth in the hamlet.

Yet Mr McIsaac said the trajectory supported by the KHSS was much lower than today’s reality.

He said the policy’s estimate of more than 130 new residents needed a big increase to meet “very extreme high-end growth”.

Mr Cuthbert said a range of factors had to be considered in what the local government would eventually recommend upon review.

“Just because there is demand does not mean the shire will automatically accommodate it,” he said.

“A key component of that will be extensive public consultation.”

Shire guidelines currently steered growth towards bigger enclaves in Margaret River, Witchcliffe and Cowaramup, Mr Cuthbert said.