The Grove
Wembley
We design and build custom homes in Wembley and across Perth's western suburbs.
Our projects typically start at $1.5M for the build, excluding land. Wembley is an inter-war suburb whose streetscape the Town of Cambridge protects through policy rather than heritage listing, so this page sets out what those rules mean for a new house on an R20 block, and shows the home we have built here.
Our homes in Wembley
The Grove is a contemporary coastal home we completed in February 2023 on a 493 m2 lot. It shows how a new house can hold its own on an established Wembley street without borrowing from the neighbours.
Three other homes are close by: McCourt Street in West Leederville, completed September 2019 on 435 m2; Lombardy Street in Woodlands, completed June 2023 on 506 m2; and Evandale Street in Floreat, under way with completion expected in 2027. Private tours are by invitation. Ask us which can be visited.
Building in Wembley: what changes
The scheme and the code. Wembley sits in the Town of Cambridge under Local Planning Scheme No. 1, gazetted on 31 March 1998. The Town's planning strategy codes the suburb R20, and public mapping puts about 37% of the suburb's area in R20, with the R30 to R60 codes concentrated along the Cambridge Street corridor. The strategy counts 145 R20 lots with latent subdivision potential.
Corner lots and Grantham Street. Scheme clause 26(4) allows R20 corner lots in the Wembley Precinct (P4) that were created in the original subdivision to be developed at R30 standards under conditions. The precinct policy (LPP 2.4, amended 25 February 2020) allows two dwellings on those corner lots, and on lots fronting or siding Grantham Street, for constructed development only, not green title, and allows additional housing on lots of at least 1,200 m2. If you are weighing a corner block for one home against a pair, this is the clause that decides it. Draft LPS2 keeps R30 for identified corner lots but removes the R20 to R30 density bonus provisions, so the window is narrowing.
Height. Under the Town's building height policy (LPP 3.3, amended 25 July 2025) a single house in Wembley has a maximum wall height of 7 m, and a total height of 8 m for a gable, skillion or concealed roof or 10 m for a hipped or pitched roof. A two storey home sits inside these limits; a third storey does not.
Character and the street frontage. The Town adopted its residential built form policy (LPP 3.1, amended 25 July 2025) to preserve established streetscapes. Street walls and fences can be solid only to 0.75 m, visually permeable above that to 1.8 m, and a garage can take no more than 50% of the frontage. The policy points to the Town's Wembley Character Study (amended November 2023) for precinct-specific character elements. The study is a policy support document, not a heritage listing, but it shapes what the Town expects of a new front elevation. Check which Wembley Character Study precinct and character elements apply to your street with the Town of Cambridge.
Trees. LPP 3.25 Tree Retention, in force since 11 December 2024, requires development approval before a regulated tree (8 m tall, 6 m canopy or 1 m trunk circumference) is damaged or removed. On an inter-war block with established trees, that is often the first approval.
Heritage. No heritage or character area is declared in Wembley. The Town's Heritage List (adopted 27 November 2018, updated 15 December 2020) includes Wembley entries, and the Catherine McAuley Centre is on the State Register; a listed place needs planning approval for demolition and most works. Check the list before you plan a demolition.
Soils and water. State geology mapping shows Tamala Limestone under the suburb. Toward Herdsman Lake and Lake Monger the mapped units change to peaty swamp deposits and wet, lake phase sands, and acid sulfate soil risk is mapped as high to moderate along both lake margins. A deep excavation on those blocks is a soils question first. One bushfire-prone polygon on the DFES map touches the suburb on the Herdsman Lake side; most of Wembley is not designated.
Demolition and knockdown rebuild. Development in Wembley dates from the 1920s and 1930s, with most of the suburb built by the 1950s, and the strategy describes a highly uniform streetscape of low density inter-war and immediate post-war housing, with infill since the 1970s. Most new houses replace one of those. The ABS recorded 55 new house approvals in the Wembley - West Leederville - Glendalough statistical area in the 12 months to August 2026, up from 49 the year before. The Town requires a demolition permit with an asbestos and septic tank declaration.
Rules in motion. Council supported the draft Local Planning Scheme No. 2 with modifications on 28 July 2026. Under it the Wembley Activity Centre becomes Centre zone R-AC0 and parts of the Cambridge Street corridor coding are reduced to manage building scale. The Minister's decision is expected late 2026 or early 2027. Rules change. Confirm the current codes for your lot with the Town of Cambridge or with us before you buy or design.
Wembley at a glance
| Measure | Figure | As at | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| New houses approved, 12 months | 55in the Wembley - West Leederville - Glendalough statistical area (49 the year before) | September 2025 to August 2026 | ABS Building Approvals |
| Residential density codes | About 37%of the suburb area R20, 6% R60, 4% R30 | Sampled 31 October 2026 | DPLH via Landgate SLIP |
| Separate houses | 44.3%of private dwellings | 2021 Census | ABS |
| Population | 12,061 | 2021 Census | ABS |
Figures are for the suburb or statistical area named. Area shares are grid estimates from public mapping and are not lot designations.
For current median sale prices, see REIWA's Wembley suburb profile.
What a $1.5M+ build looks like in Wembley
Our projects typically start at $1.5M for the build, excluding land. Our cost guide puts a Trendsetter home at $4,000 to $6,000+ per square metre, with builds from $1.5M to $4M and most between $1.5M and $3M. On an R20 Wembley block the plan usually goes to two storeys inside the 7 m wall and 8 m or 10 m roof limits, with the garage held to half the frontage and a low front fence. A corner lot from the original subdivision opens the R30 question. Toward Herdsman Lake and Lake Monger the mapped soils can add site work before the slab goes down.
How we work
Trendsetter Homes has designed and built custom homes across Perth since 1997. Design, construction and interiors are handled by one team, so the people who draw your home are the people who build it, and the interior designer is in the room from the first brief. Before you commit, we show you real homes: private tours of finished and in-progress client homes, by invitation, with no obligation. Many clients talk to us before they buy a block, and that is a good time to start.
The people you will work with
Design, construction and interiors are one team. These are the people you meet first.
Nearby suburbs we build in
Wembley's neighbours fall under three councils, Cambridge, Subiaco and Stirling, and the codes change at each boundary.
Nearby: Floreat, West Leederville, Woodlands.
Elsewhere in the western suburbs: City Beach, Nedlands.
All areas: see every suburb we have written up.
Questions about building in Wembley
Can I build two homes on a Wembley corner block?
Sometimes. Scheme clause 26(4) lets R20 corner lots in the Wembley Precinct that were created in the original subdivision be developed at R30 standards under conditions, and LPP 2.4 allows two dwellings on those lots, and on lots fronting or siding Grantham Street, as constructed development only, not green title. Draft LPS2 keeps R30 for identified corner lots but removes the density bonus provisions, so ask where your lot stands.
How high can I build in Wembley?
The Town's building height policy (LPP 3.3) sets a 7 m maximum wall height and a total height of 8 m for a gable, skillion or concealed roof or 10 m for a hipped or pitched roof, measured from natural ground level under LPP 3.24. Two storeys fit. Three do not.
Is Wembley a heritage suburb?
Not in the planning sense. No heritage or character area is declared in Wembley, and the Wembley Character Study that the built form policy refers to is a policy support document, not a listing. A place on the Town's Heritage List or the State Register does need approval for demolition and most works, so we check the list before design begins.
What does the Town ask for before demolition?
A demolition permit with the Town's checklist and an asbestos and septic tank declaration. Class 10 structures under 40 m2 are exempt, and the Town may take a verge or street tree protection bond. A Heritage List place needs planning approval first.
Talk to us
Book a design meeting at our Osborne Park office, or request a private tour of a finished or in-progress home. Office (08) 9446 2822. For tours, call Marek on 0412 688 079. Or use the enquiry form below.
Request a design chat