CQ builder wins multi-unit project as Rockhampton region battles rental crisis
An $8.3m tender for the construction of 18 social housing apartments in Rockhampton has been awarded as the region battles a critical rental shortage.
The Queensland Government has awarded an $8.3m tender for the construction of 18 social housing apartments in Rockhampton City as the region battles an ongoing rental accommodation crisis.
Griffin Builders Pty Ltd put in the successful bid for the development on four titles of land at 11 George Street.
The Department of Housing project was originally proposed to provide 12 units but that has been expanded to now involve 13 one-bedroom and five two-bedroom apartments.
The Department of Housing purchased the neighbouring properties at 11 George St and 98 Campbell Ln in March 2023 for $420,000. A house on the George St property has been demolished to make way for the units.
In 2023 a spokesman for the Department of Housing said they were focused on helping people secure and sustain private rentals, including leasing homes.
He said once built, the “social housing units (in George St) will provide housing for suitable households from the Queensland Social Housing Register”.
The latest REIQ rental vacancy rates for the 2025 September quarter show extremely low vacancies across regional Queensland continuing with the tough conditions freezing mobility and limiting options for renters.
Rockhampton (0.8 per cent) continues to hover under the 1 per cent mark as does Toowoomba (0.5 per cent), Cairns (0.7 per cent), Townsville (0.8 per cent), and Mackay (0.9 per cent).
At the other end of the spectrum, only a handful of areas offer any significant relief, including Noosa (1.9 per cent) and Gladstone (2.2 per cent),
A construction date for the 18 unit project has not been advised.
The Department of Housing has been approached to provide further details.
