Hilton roller shutters and outdoor blinds

From the 2021 Census: 4.8% of employed Hilton residents worked in mining, compared with 6.6% across Greater Perth. Read that as a rough guide only, because the census does not track fly-in fly-out work. 17.0% of residents were 65 or over, a little above the Greater Perth figure of 15.8%, and the median age was 38.

When the house is going to be empty, motorised shutters do the closing up for you. Lower the lot from a single remote on the way out, set them to rise and fall at fixed times, and with WiFi control move them from your phone wherever you happen to be. Combine that with the WA Police holiday advice: timers on lights and electronics, every door and window locked, and a spare key left with someone you trust.

For blackouts, a Somfy CSI motor has a manual override, and Ozroll's battery drive keeps working when mains power is lost.

The state planning exemption for a single house holds only where the R-Codes apply, the work meets the deemed-to-comply provisions and the place is not heritage protected. In Hilton the third test matters, because the City of Fremantle's heritage areas listing, LPP 3.6.1, includes the Hilton Garden Suburb Precinct heritage area.

Under the City's exemptions policy, LPP 1.7, every property inside a heritage area counts as heritage protected, whether it is contributory or not. Works to those places need development approval unless the policy's table exempts them, and roller shutters and blinds are not named in that table. The City's heritage policy, LPP 3.6, adds that front verandahs and porches of contributory and listed homes are not to be enclosed, which matters if you were picturing blinds around a front verandah.

If your home is in the heritage area, speak to the City before ordering. Outside it, the three state conditions above are the test. Seniors Card members can also claim the WA Seniors Card Safety and Security Rebate, which covers security window screens or window shutters up to $400 per household.