$1.2b roads deal sealed for Flagstone future city

A massive southeast Queensland housing development that would rank among Australia’s 20 biggest cities and towns has taken a step forward with the signing of a landmark $1.2 billion infrastructure deal.

A MASSIVE southeast Queensland housing development that would rank as one of Australia’s 20 biggest cities and towns has taken a step forward with the signing of a landmark $1.2 billion infrastructure deal.

State Development Minister Cameron Dick says the Flagstone agreement is the biggest infrastructure deal of its type by any government in Australia, and will lead to the delivery of roads and other infrastructure underpinning the massive Yarrabilba and Greater Flagstone developments in the state’s southeast.

A residential area within the Flagstone development area

Almost 200,000 people are expected to have moved into the two developments by 2066, when the projects are finished.

The projects within Logan City are in the state’s ­Priority Development Areas earmarked by the State Government for accelerated development.

The deal, to be announced today, has been struck between Logan City Council, State Government and nine key developers to ensure roads, water supply and wastewater infrastructure are paid for without burdening ratepayers within the rapidly growing area.
“Today’s announcement is about ensuring high quality infrastructure to support these growing communities over the next four decades,” Mr Dick said.

The Greater Flagstone development, which covers more than 7000ha west of Jimboomba, was approved in 2010 and will take up to 50 years to build. By then, it is predicted to have 50,000 homes for up to 120,000 people.

Yarrabilba, approved in 2011, covers more than 2000ha and is expected to have 20,000 houses for an estimated 50,000 people when completed over 20 to 30 years. Like Greater Flagstone, houses are already for sale.

Logan council interim administrator Tamara O’Shea said the two developments would deliver a “substantial proportion of the new housing needed in southeast Queensland over the next three to four decades”.

She said the nine key developers would fund the infrastructure through upfront charges, over and above their development costs.

It meant the infrastructure to connect the new housing with surrounding networks would be delivered “without placing an impost on existing ratepayers,” she said.

That included 170km of council road upgrades over the next six years, and up to $400 million in infrastructure investment, that would support more than 130 construction jobs a year, Mr Dick said.