Abandoned, flooded Brassall townhouse project to be bought back by Ipswich council

There were emotional scenes in the Ipswich City Council chambers after a unanimously to buy back a flood-ravaged Brassal townhouse project, abandoned since the 2022 deluge.

There were emotional scenes in the Ipswich City Council chambers after a unanimously to buy back a flood-ravaged Brassal townhouse project, abandoned since the 2022 deluge.

Residents in the Mihi Grove project had been unable to return to their homes, which were left uninhabitable.

The 42 townhouses in the Haig St complex were also extensively damaged in the 2011 and again in 2013.

Progress on a buyback has been delayed because the townhouse complex was under a community title scheme.

Under current legislation, agreement from all owners was required to dissolve community title, affecting eligibility for the Voluntary Homes Buy-Back Program.

Owner-occupier Odette Summers said the complex looked beautiful and well-maintained when she was living there until the insurance company removed their security systems post-flood.

“There’s nothing in them. You wouldn’t know from the outside, but when you walk in, there are no walls,” Ms Summers said.

“There’s no kitchens, toilets, bathrooms, there’s nothing there but the frames.

“All that’s left in there is the firewalls between each unit but they will have to come out before they can take them down.

“It’s just a shame that it was allowed to be built there in the first place”.

Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding struggled to hold back tears when she asked councillors to support the acquisition of the Mihi Grove properties.

“We can’t begin to imagine the stress and anguish this process has brought to yourselves and your families,” Cr Harding told property owners who witnessed the vote in chambers.

“It has been a long, complicated and resource-intensive journey.

“No one knows that more than the owners who have been working tirelessly at their end to help us resolve the many complexities of Mihi Grove.

“As we head into the Christmas season, I hope this decision will give you relief, certainty and peace of mind knowing you and your family can soon leave Mihi Grove and the fear of the next flood behind you”.

Ms Summers, who has led the committee fighting for the voluntary home buy-backs, the entire process had been heart-wrenching.

“I bought in at Mihi Grove about four years ago, after my husband had just died from cancer,” she said.

“He was in such a bad state towards the end of his cancer journey that he was in denial mode and so cancelled his life insurance.

“I had to sell our house. That’s how I ended up in Mihi. Otherwise I would have still been in our Queenslander on a hill”.

The process of asking for assistance and advocacy to access the voluntary home buy-backs through the Resilient Homes Fund first hit the Mayor’s desk in 2022.

In her address to the Council, Mayor Harding thanked the support of Queensland Reconstruction Authority and the support of Deputy Premier Steven Miles.

This is support is believed to be in the form a funding promise of $1.84 million to cover any unforeseen issues that may arise during the acquisition process.

“This has been a true partnership between Council and the Queensland Reconstruction Authority, and would certainly not be possible without the political intervention and financial support of the Deputy Premier Steven Miles,” Cr Harding said.

It is understood that only two properties under a community title scheme applied for the Resilient Homes Fund, with both being in Ipswich.

While council does not administer the Voluntary Home Buy-Back Program, they do have a responsibility to take ownership and demolish those properties one they are bought back.