The quarter-acre block, the Hills Hoist, and the sprawling backyard – once the bedrock of the Australian suburban dream – have been brutally replaced by a confronting new reality. Shocking images from a Perth housing estate have ignited a national outcry, laying bare the grim future facing millions of Australians as developers push homes to the absolute brink of property lines, creating what critics are labelling “battery chicken farming” for humans.
The latest flashpoint in Australia’s escalating housing crisis comes from Yanchep, approximately 55km north of Perth’s CBD.
Here, rows of new builds are not just close; they appear virtually glued together, leaving no room for a backyard, let alone a clothes line or rubbish bins.
The visual evidence has sparked a torrent of public outrage, with social media users expressing disbelief and disgust at the sheer lack of space and privacy.
The controversy erupted when B1 Homes showcased a local couple’s investment purchase in the estate on facebook.
An image shared by B1 Homes has sparked national outrage over homes being build too close for comfort. Source: B1 Homes/Facebook.
The Yanchep housing development is located 55km north of Perth. Source: B1 Homes/Facebook.
The online post was shared by United Voices Australia and was swiftly inundated with scathing comments, highlighted the stark reality of these zero-lot boundary developments.
“Human equivalent of battery chicken farming,” one person declared online, capturing the widespread sentiment of dehumanising density.
No backyard, no privacy: The new suburban reality
The images paint a picture of houses so tightly packed that the concept of personal space seems utterly obliterated.
“Roofers must of loved it… one ladder for the whole estate,” another commenter quipped, underscoring the impracticality and absurdity of the design.
The lack of acoustic privacy was also a major concern: “When mum yells go clean your teeth the whole neighbourhood cleans their teeth,” a third person remarked, highlighting the intrusive nature of such close quarters.
Beyond the loss of privacy and the traditional backyard, serious questions are being raised about the liveability and safety of these estates.
The average home in Yanchep sells for around $1m. Source: B1 Homes/Facebook.
“It’s more like a prison camp; you’d be nuts to buy one of these,” one commenter stated, while another pondered the most basic of domestic necessities: “Where do you put the clothes line and wheelie bin?”
Perhaps most alarmingly, concerns over health and safety regulations have surfaced, with one individual asking, “How does that not breach the fire code?”
The national crisis: Affordability at what cost?
This disturbing trend of tightly packed, zero-lot boundary homes is not unique to Perth; it’s a national phenomenon driven by Australia’s dire housing affordability crisis.
With availability hitting record lows and demand continuing to soar, developers are shrinking block sizes to lower costs, ostensibly making homeownership more accessible for first-home buyers.
However, experts warn that this comes at a significant, and potentially detrimental, cost to quality of life.
Liam Davies, a lecturer in sustainability and urban planning at RMIT University, told Yahoo News that while inner-city living traditionally involved a trade-off of space for amenities, suburban living offered the opposite: a larger house and backyard.
In Victoria, properties are also being built close together have created tension among neighbours. Source: Reddit/al4n4h
“We can almost think about it in the dichotomy between these two trade-offs, but what we don’t want is low housing amenity and low neighbourhood amenity,” he said.
“To address housing affordability, what we’ve seen is a bit of a trend towards more townhouse and row house design on smaller blocks in suburban areas, (but) are we delivering suburbs that people want to live in?
“Really, they’re kind of losing in both ways. They’re not getting a house with a nice backyard, they’re not getting a house with generous bedroom sizes, and they’re also not getting either neighbourhood amenity that creates a quality and vibrant life.”
Perth, in particular, has experienced extraordinary growth in housing prices, forcing many to purchase homes “too small for their needs and too far from where they want to live because it’s what they can afford.”
Australian homes are getting closer and closer to one another in overpopulated cities. Source: Supplied & TikTok/onlyframes
As for homes in Yanchep, a search on realestate.com.au reveals that the average homes sells for around $1m.
“The suburban dream is the Hills hoist, the sprinkler on the lawn. Now increasingly, we’re not seeing that, but when it’s squeezed to the point that you can’t even imagine where you put pot plants, or where you’d sit outside for a morning coffee or for breakfast, it starts to become a bit of an awkward feeling,” Davies said.
Council points to state planning frameworks
The City of Wanneroo, where the Yanchep estate is located, is projected to see a 64 per cent population surge by 2035.
The council states that “this style of development is governed by a state-led planning framework that sets the requirements for lot size and configuration, as well as housing design standards, across Western Australia.”
While the council assesses compliance, the underlying issue remains: state planning frameworks are enabling developments that sacrifice liveability for perceived affordability.
Davies argues that if this trend continues, a more systemic approach is needed.
Higher-density living in outer suburbs could be viable if supported by robust infrastructure, including shopping strips, cafes, and ample open, walkable spaces.
Ultimately, these developments are a stark “illumination into the reality of relying on markets to create affordable housing,” Davies concludes.
“Markets will create affordable housing by trying to decrease costs, but if we want quality affordable housing, we have to think more systemically… and that means being more intentional with our planning system and expecting more from developers and landowners.”
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