Development in Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton

WA

Building approvals, live development applications and major projects across the Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton statistical area — covering Busselton, Augusta Margaret River and Nannup.

SA3 50101 Rest of WA 68,165 residents 5 statistical areas
Approved · FY25 836 dwellings approved
vs 5-yr average 753 average approvals a year
In the queue 9 live applications
Major projects 38 15 already under construction
Data Sources ABSCouncil planning portals ABS to August 2026 · Refreshed ABS QuickStats SA3 50101 How we calculate this

The Pipeline Development Pipeline in Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton

1 Proposed 9 applications in assessment Leading · to July 2026 See applications ↓
2 Approved 836 dwellings approved in 2025-26, or 1.30 per 100 existing dwellings a year Official · ABS to August 2026 See approvals ↓
3 Building 38 major projects committed or under construction, 15 of them already on site Forward · completions to 2030+ See projects ↓
4 Delivered 4,423 new addresses verified since the 2021 Census, up 12.4% on the existing base Actual · to August 2026 Where it landed ↓
In the 2025-26 financial year the ABS recorded 836 dwelling approvals across Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton. Right now, 9 development applications are before the 3 councils covering the area. AreaSearch tracks 38 major projects here that are committed or under construction, the largest being Bunbury Offshore Wind Area at an estimated $12.0bn. On the ground, 4,423 new addresses have been verified since the 2021 Census — growth of 12.4% on the existing address base.

These four figures are deliberately not added together. An application, an approval and a project under construction are often the same building at three points in its life, measured by three different bodies with three different lags. Read them as a sequence, not a total.

Approved Building Approvals in Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton

What councils and certifiers have formally permitted — the ABS series, published about four months in arrears.

Approvals are running at 1.30 per 100 existing dwellings a year, well above the Western Australia rate of 0.80. Development here remains overwhelmingly detached: houses account for 94% of recent approvals. The mix being approved closely matches what is already standing — 96% houses against 90% of existing homes. The average approved dwelling is valued at $503,000 in construction cost.

Dwelling units approved each financial year. The dashed line is the five-year average of 753.

How intensively is it building?

Dwelling approvals a year per 100 existing dwellings.

Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton 1.30
Western Australia 0.80
Australia 0.71

What is here, and what is coming

Detached houses as a share of existing homes, against the share of recent approvals.

Existing homes (2021 Census) 90%
Approved, last 5 years 96%
Approved, latest year 94%
Detached houses Apartments, townhouses & other

Approvals mix by year

Share of each year’s approvals.

2023
2024
2025
2026
2025-26
$493m
Residential work approved
2025-26
$111m
Commercial work approved
construction cost
$503,000
Average value per approved dwelling
last two years
77
Residents per approval

Supply & Demand Is Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton Building Enough Homes?

The same approvals, measured against the population they have to house.

Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton approves about 11.0 new dwellings a year for every 1,000 residents. Since the 2021 Census it has added 10,833 residents and 4,423 new addresses, roughly one new home per 2.4 extra residents — broadly in step with an average household of 2.8. Housing the population projected for 2041 implies roughly 243 new dwellings a year from here, which puts the recent approval rate of 753 a year comfortably ahead of what the projection needs.

Growth against supply since the Census

People added for every new address verified, against the size of an average local household.

People added per new home 2.4
Average household size 2.8

A bar longer than the household average means the area gained more residents than its new housing could hold, and the extra had to be absorbed by existing homes.

Approval rate against projected need

Dwellings a year: what is currently being approved, against what the 2041 population projection implies.

Approved (5-yr average) 753
Implied need to 2041 243

Implied need assumes the average household stays at today’s 2.8 people. Approvals are not completions, and not every approval is built.

ProposedLEADING · to July 2026 Development Applications in Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton

What is being asked for right now — applications collected from council planning portals, before any of it reaches the ABS series above. AreaSearch tracks applications of material scale; routine minor works such as signage and fencing changes are not carried, so these are not counts of every application lodged.

AreaSearch tracks 35 development applications of material scale lodged with councils across Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton, the most recent in July 2026. 9 of them are still in assessment. The most common types in the queue are childcare.
Too few categorised applications to chart

Where the applications stand

As reported by the council. Highlighted rows are applications still in assessment.

Approved 19
Pending 9
Refused 3
Determined 2
Reconsidered 2

By local government area

Applications on record within each council area that overlaps Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton. This counts applications inside this statistical area only — it is not a total for the council.

Busselton 25
Augusta Margaret River 10

BuildingFORWARD Major Projects & Infrastructure in Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton

What is funded and moving — the projects large enough to change how Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton works, ranked by committed value and how close they are to delivery.

AreaSearch tracks 38 current projects across Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton. The largest is Bunbury Offshore Wind Area at an estimated $12.0bn, due by 2037. That breaks down as 15 under construction, 7 approved and awaiting a start and 16 still in planning. The pipeline is weighted toward residential development, tourism and communities, precincts & urban renewal.
Rapids Landing Masterplanned Community
Under construction $320m by 2026

Rapids Landing Masterplanned Community

A comprehensive masterplanned community by The Lester Group located 800 metres from Margaret River town centre. The development includes an established residential estate with various sized lots, a proposed…

Margaret River

Home HQ Busselton
Under construction $170m by 2027

Home HQ Busselton

A 48,500 square metre Large Format Retail centre on a 23-hectare site at Bovell, on the corner of the Busselton Bypass and Chapman Hill Road. The development comprises eight buildings ranging from 2,510 to…

Busselton - East

Witchcliffe Ecovillage
Under construction $150m by 2028

Witchcliffe Ecovillage

A pioneering sustainable residential development featuring over 350 homes across 11 residential clusters with extensive permaculture areas, community gardens, renewable energy systems, and environmental…

Margaret River

Also in the pipeline

Birdwood Cowaramup Land Estate Under construction · Residential Development · by 2029 · Augusta
$130m
Spindrift Margaret River Under construction · Residential Development · by 2028 · Margaret River
$120m
Busselton Gateway Industrial Park Under construction · Business Parks & Technology Hubs · by 2027 · Busselton - East
$120m
Vasse Estate Under construction · Communities · by 2035 · Busselton - West
$1.28bn
Halcyon Vasse Under construction · Residential Development · by 2030 · Busselton - West
$142m
Busselton Water Supply Improvement Project Under construction · Environmental & Disaster Management · by 2029 · Busselton - East
$60m
Birdwood Cowaramup Estate Under construction · Communities, Precincts & Urban Renewal · by 2027 · Augusta
$45m
Smiths Beach Project, Yallingup - Coastal Tourism Village In planning · Tourism · by 2028 · Busselton Surrounds
$280m
Gnarabup Beach Resort and Village (Westin Margaret River Resort & Spa) In planning · Tourism · by 2028 · Margaret River
$138m
Embark Busselton Under construction · Communities, Precincts & Urban Renewal · by 2032 · Busselton - East
$37m
Bunbury Offshore Wind Area In planning · Energy · by 2037 · Busselton Surrounds
$12.0bn
Margaret River South Structure Plan In planning · Residential Development · by 2030 · Margaret River
$200m

23 further projects in Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton are not listed here.

AI Generated Denotes AI-based impression for illustrative purposes only, not to be taken as definitive under any circumstances. Please follow links and conduct other investigations from the project’s source for actual imagery. Developers and project owners wishing us to use original imagery please Contact Us and we will do so.

Beyond 2030: a further $13.3bn across 3 projects with completion dates further out — mostly precinct-scale programs whose dates are indicative. Kept out of the chart so the years you can act on stay readable.

Estimated value of tracked projects by the year they are due to complete, stacked by how certain they are. The dark band is money already being spent; the pale band is still an intention. Estimates are indicative and mix infrastructure cost with whole-of-precinct development value, so read the shape rather than the totals.

Approvals Pipeline Development Applications in Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton

Development applications around Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton

Development approvals is a new addition to AreaSearch. We’re actively expanding council coverage and refining the dataset — details and statuses for some councils may be partial. Check back regularly for the latest pipeline.
Applications
In the local catchment
Est. Value
Where disclosed
Under Assessment
Awaiting determination
Determined
Approved or decided
Approvals pipeline Status, location, timing and project scale

Loading development applications…

Lodged Address Description Type Distance Status

SOURCE: Planning portals and council registers, compiled by AreaSearch. Distance & bearing measured from the suburb midpoint.

ProfessionalPRO Development Map for Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton

Applications and major projects plotted where they are actually proposed, with the 53 projects AreaSearch tracks here on their own tab — filterable by type, delivery stage, area and committed value. To search every application on record rather than this sample, use the section above.

Distribution Where Development Is Happening in Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton

Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton covers 5 statistical areas, and development is not spread evenly between them. Augusta alone accounted for 28% of the area’s dwelling approvals in 2025-26. The top three between them took 73% of the total.

Dwelling approvals each financial year, split by the statistical area they fell in. Each column totals the whole Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton figure from the approvals chart above — SA2s nest exactly inside an SA3, so the two always reconcile. Tap or click an area in the legend to hide it and compare the rest.

Map builder

Each area below opens a map builder on its own page — a tool for putting a map and a table into a report. Pick the place types you want plotted (schools, supermarkets, medical, child care, transport and the rest of what AreaSearch holds), add development applications as their own layer, drop your own points, then recolour, renumber and export the result as a table or CSV. A this area only toggle clips everything to the boundary you are looking at. Searches are charged against your credit balance — 1 credit per 40 results from AreaSearch data — and setting filters costs nothing until you search. The builder works on one suburb-sized area at a time, which is why it opens per area rather than across the whole of Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton.

Augusta area profile

235 approvals in 2025-26
28% of the area total · 6 applications on record · 1,255 new addresses since 2021
Build a map

Busselton - West area profile

210 approvals in 2025-26
25% of the area total · 17 applications on record · 1,298 new addresses since 2021
Build a map

Margaret River area profile

168 approvals in 2025-26
20% of the area total · 4 applications on record · 679 new addresses since 2021
Build a map

Busselton Surrounds area profile

124 approvals in 2025-26
15% of the area total · 8 applications on record · 655 new addresses since 2021
Build a map

Busselton - East area profile

99 approvals in 2025-26
12% of the area total · 536 new addresses since 2021
Build a map

Planning Authorities Councils Covering Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton

Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton spans 3 local government areas — Busselton, Augusta Margaret River and Nannup. Applications here are assessed by whichever of those councils the site falls within. AreaSearch publishes development figures at ABS statistical boundaries rather than council boundaries. That is deliberate: the ABS issues a separate official building-approvals series for local government areas, and totals built up from statistical areas would not match it. Reporting at SA3 keeps every figure on this page reconcilable with the published ABS series.
Local government areaShare of Augusta - Margaret River - BusseltonApplications on recordRegister read to
Busselton 71% of residents 25 July 2026
Augusta Margaret River 29% of residents 10 April 2026
Nannup 0.0% of residents Not yet collected

Compare Nearby Development Hubs

The same view of building approvals, applications and major projects for areas neighbouring Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton.

Data & Method Sources & Method for Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton

The four tenses, and what each one can tell you

Proposed — development applications
Collected from council planning portals. The earliest signal available, but the least certain: many applications are amended, withdrawn or refused, values are the applicant’s own estimate, and coverage varies by council. This is a curated set, not the full council feed: AreaSearch carries applications of material scale and does not track routine minor works such as signage, fencing or small alterations, so the counts here are lower than a council’s own total lodgement figure and should not be compared with it. Applications still shown as under assessment more than 18 months after lodgement are reported separately and kept out of the live-queue figures: the age profile of open applications is sharply split between a genuine queue under a year old and a long tail of records councils never closed. Not every state publishes a cost of works — Queensland, the Northern Territory and the ACT publish none at all — so on those pages applications are counted rather than valued and no dollar figure is shown rather than a partial one. Treated here as a snapshot of the current queue only — AreaSearch does not chart application counts over time, because the history reflects when each portal was collected rather than when development happened.
Approved — ABS building approvals
The official series, aggregated to SA3 from ABS building approvals data, currently published to August 2026. Counts dwelling units approved, not buildings and not completions. The most recent financial year is annualised from nine months of data wherever it appears and is labelled as such.
Building — major projects
Projects tracked individually by AreaSearch from Infrastructure Australia, state infrastructure agencies, developer disclosures and council records. Values are estimates and delivery dates are targets. Ranked on this page by committed value and delivery stage rather than by distance.
Delivered — verified new addresses
New residential addresses verified in the national address register since the 2021 Census. This is the closest available measure of what has actually been built, though address creation can lead occupation and lags construction. It is not a completions count.

Boundaries

Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton is Statistical Area Level 3 50101 in the ABS Australian Statistical Geography Standard (2021 edition), made up of 5 Statistical Areas Level 2. It has an estimated 68,165 residents, +18.9% since the 2021 Census.

Currency

MeasureSourceTo
Dwelling approvals, five-year average ABS / AreaSearch July 2026
House share of approvals ABS / AreaSearch July 2026
Residents per approval ABS / AreaSearch July 2026
Value per approved dwelling ABS / AreaSearch July 2026
Commercial work approved ABS / AreaSearch July 2026
Verified new addresses since the Census Address register / AreaSearch August 2026
Development applications Council planning portals July 2026
Major projects Infrastructure Australia / state agencies / AreaSearch Ongoing

Figures on this page are read live from the AreaSearch database each time it loads, so they update as soon as a source does.

Development in Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton — common questions

How many new dwellings were approved in Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton?

The ABS recorded 836 dwelling approvals across Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton in the 2025-26 financial year, against a five-year average of 753 a year.

How many development applications are lodged in Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton?

AreaSearch tracks 35 development applications of material scale across Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton — routine minor works such as signage and fencing are not included, so this is not a count of every application lodged, of which 9 remain in assessment. Applications are assessed within the Busselton, Augusta Margaret River and Nannup local government areas. The most recent application in our data was lodged in July 2026.

What major projects are planned for Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton?

AreaSearch tracks 38 current major projects in Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton, 15 of them under construction. The largest include Rapids Landing Masterplanned Community, Home HQ Busselton and Witchcliffe Ecovillage.

Which council covers Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton?

Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton is an ABS Statistical Area Level 3. It is covered by parts of 3 local government areas — Busselton, Augusta Margaret River and Nannup. AreaSearch publishes development figures at ABS statistical boundaries rather than council boundaries, so they reconcile with the official ABS series.

Is Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton growing faster than the rest of Western Australia?

On development approvals, Augusta - Margaret River - Busselton is adding new dwellings faster than Western Australia as a whole — 1.30 approvals per 100 existing dwellings a year against the state figure of 0.80.

How current is this development data?

ABS building approvals are published with a lag of roughly four months; this page carries the series to August 2026. Development applications are collected from council planning portals and refresh continuously, with the most recent application here lodged in July 2026. Major project records are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Each section carries its own currency label so the four are never confused.

Development data is provided for general information. Estimated values, dwelling counts and delivery dates come from the lodging or delivering party and are not independently verified by AreaSearch. Confirm anything material with the relevant council or agency before relying on it.