Somerset's on the rise

ACCORDING to the Somerset Regional Council, there were nearly 40% more plumbing and draining approvals in September 2012 than in the same month last year.

Flood debris clean-up. From left, Somerset Regional Council Mayor Graeme Lehmann, Natural Resource Manager Trevor Page and Councillor Robin Caddy at Ferny Gully. . Picture: Contributed

DEVELOPMENT is continuing to boom in the Somerset region.

According to information from the Somerset Regional Council, there were nearly 40% more plumbing and draining approvals from council in September 2012 than in the same month last year.

Somerset Mayor Graeme Lehmann said most plumbing and draining approvals were part of the development of houses.

Similarly the council stated there had been 46 building approvals made in the region in August, five more than the previous month.

Cr Lehmann said the growing number of developments was good news for a region already one of the fastest-growing in the State.

"This can only be good news for the Somerset," he said.

"We welcome development across the entire region.

"Fernvale is one town growing really well; there is a lot of development going on there especially.

"When you have a look at how close it is to Ipswich, Brisbane and Amberley, it's really a perfect location for development."

Cr Lehmann said the council was also continuing to work to develop a new planning scheme for the council area that would, when approved and implemented, replace the outdated planning schemes for the former Kilcoy and Esk shires.

"The new planning scheme will definitely help development," he said. "We'll have one scheme to cover the entire region rather than two from the region before amalgamation."

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in 2010-2011 the Somerset region was the third fastest-growing local government area in the Queensland with 2.94% growth.

Originally published as Somerset's on the rise