Buyers forced to camp out at Harmony Estate to get a slice of property

Demand for land at one of the Sunshine Coast’s most popular estates has boiled over with hopeful buyers regularly forced to camp out in tents overnight.

Hopeful buyers have taken to camping at Palmview's Harmony Estate whenever there is a land release.

Demand for land at one of the Sunshine Coast's most popular estates has boiled over with hopeful buyers regularly forced to camp out in tents overnight for the chance to secure a block, its developer says.

At AVID Property Group's most recent land release at its master planned Harmony Estate at Palmview, more than 40 people were camped outside its sales office from 2am onwards.

AVID Property Group general manager Bruce Harper said 20 lots were up for grabs on that occasion and some buyers did miss out.

Mr Harper said AVID had released land about once a month since September 2020 and that people were sleeping out each time.

"We have a growing database of people anxious and willing to buy today but are faced with a limited number of blocks available over the next few months," Mr Harper said.

"It can be pretty tough, you do feel sad for people who miss out. It's disappointing seeing them feeling rejected.

"But they also build relationships with other people in queue who could end up being their neighbours."

AVID Property Group general manager Bruce Harper says land supply has become a real issue across the Sunshine Coast. Image supplied.

Mr Harper said the demand was so strong that if AVID had 400 blocks available he claimed they would all sell within a day.

"We have hundreds of residents looking to build a home, and we need to satisfy them," he said.

"Owner occupiers, mums and dads, singles, couples all looking to buy."

AVID's building arm Villaworld Homes has consistently built homes six months ahead of demand, but since the Home Builder Scheme was introduced the company is working six months behind sales in a push to keep up with buyers.

The company did not release land at the weekend, but Mr Harper said it was looking at different ways, potentially a ballot system, to meet demand.

Mr Harper said recent discussions with Sunshine Coast Council regarding the challenges in obtaining approvals to meet demand had been promising.

Hopeful buyers queuing up outside Palmview's Harmony Estate whenever there is a land release.

However, he called for the approval process to be sped up further.

"Council told me they recognised there was an issue and said that more resources would be put into it," Mr Harper said.

Sunshine Coast Council was given two business days to respond to questions but was unable to provide comment.

However, a spokesman said in September 2020 the council was prepared to work with land developers to "expedite their plan sealing process".

The Urban Development Institute of Australia labelled the land supply as a crisis and that its knock-on consequences for housing affordability and rental availability have been on the boil for some time.

The Sunshine Coast's rental vacancy rates sit at less than one per cent with some workers locked out of the market.

The UDIA's chief executive Kirsty Chessher-Brown said the delivery of a "consistent and serviced supply pipeline" was critical to maintaining the Sunshine Coast's affordability.

"With only two years and two months of approved lot supply, the Coast falls below the State Government's benchmark for having four years of approved lot supply," Ms Chessher-Brown said.

"We need to work with council to improve supply and part of that is getting approvals faster without, of course, jeopardising due process.

"We will continue our dialogue with council about how we can work together to address housing demand on the Coast."

Drone shots of work at AVID Property Group's Harmony Estate at Palmview.

Mr Harper said having an adequate supply of land zoned and matching it with the planned delivery of infrastructure was a complex and difficult task.

"But it is vital to ensure that housing remains affordable," Mr Harper said.

"The last year's record growth in demand for new homes has further exacerbated the supply shortage especially in some of the more popular growth corridors like the Sunshine Coast.

"We're in for a strong ride for the next couple of years. Land prices, particularly in those supply constrained growth corridors, will skyrocket."

Queensland Minister for State Development and Planning Steven Miles acknowledged there was a land supply shortage which he said had stemmed from a spike in interstate migration and the impacts from the Home Builder scheme.

Mr Miles said the government was working closely with Sunshine Coast Council and the industry to unlock land in the region.

The Deputy Premier said he asked the State Planner to work with Economic Development Queensland to establish a growth areas delivery team to proactively address land supply challenges.

"The team is working to address the current pressure on land supply and provide a mechanism for government, councils, developers and the industry to keep up with the increase in demand for land, housing and the supporting infrastructure that comes with it," Mr Miles said.

Mr Miles said Economic Development Queensland had recently approved an additional 3091 lot subdivision in the Caloundra South priority development area which would help provide land for 20,000 new homes.

The State Government is also working with council to investigate planning and infrastructure requirements for the Beerwah East Major Development Area available for urban development which has the potential to support up to 25,000 dwellings.

The government argued its monitoring showed there is 15 years supply of land zoned for residential purposes available on the Sunshine Coast.

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Originally published as Buyers forced to camp out at Harmony Estate to get a slice of property