$200m budget plan to crack open land banks in Redland, Logan, Caboolture

The state will allocate $200 million in this month’s budget to crack open developers’ land banks to fix the housing crisis with Redland, Logan and Caboolture shouldering the population burden. WATCH THE VIDEO

Bureaucratic fights over land availability loom over southeast Queensland, after deputy Premier Steven Miles announced an ambitious $200 million budget cash splash yesterday.

Redland, Logan and Caboolture have been earmarked to house the population explosion hitting southeast Queensland.

The three areas were mentioned when Deputy Premier Steven Miles announced the state would allocate $200 million in this month’s budget to crack open developers’ land banks.

He said the goal was to add an extra 50,000 lots of land to the supply in the southeast, with 30,000 at Caboolture West.

A $50 million Growth Acceleration Fund, set up ahead of the June 21 Budget, will be used to buy priority trunk infrastructure in Redland, Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast and Caboolture.

It will be used to develop more residential lots to increase housing supply and to provide water and sewerage.

A new $150 million Catalyst Infrastructure Fund has also been set up to pay for water and sewerage networks at Ripley Valley and Logan’s Greater Flagstone.

Flagstone in Logan, will benefit with infrastructure funding. PHOTO: Courtesy Peet

Mr Miles said much developable land was being banked because individual developers could not afford to pay for the necessary community infrastructure.

In Logan, roads into and out of Yarrabilba need to be upgraded to cope with the population explosion.

In Redland, the 3500-lot Shoreline project is halted and cannot proceed further than the first 200 houses before a proper sewerage system is built.

Portaloo toilets line a construction street at Shoreline, where there is no sewerage system yet. The state will allocate $200 million in this month’s budget to build infrastructure and crack open developers’ land banks. WATCH THE VIDEO

Redland-based developers Fox and Bell joined forces with another local developer Fiteni Homes to buy the land but both had to harness the support of multinational Lendlease to get a sewerage treatment plant built.

The state government also sped up the approval process for Shoreline developers, calling in the project and lending them $15 million to build the treatment plant which will drain into the Logan River.

“This is all about increasing land supply, addressing housing availability, and housing affordability,” Mr Miles said.

“We have a goal of adding an additional 50,000 lots to the land supply in the southeast, 30,000 of those will be at Caboolture with utility infrastructure at Caboolture West.

“We are ensuring government, councils, developers and industry can keep up with the increase in demand for land, housing and the supporting infrastructure that comes with it.”

Alexandra Hills landowner Jennifer Sterling said she was unable to subdivide her land for housing because the council had told her there was already enough supply.

Alex Hills landowner Jennifer Sterling.

“Cr Rowanne McKenzie told me that the land shortage was not the council’s fault as one developer owned the majority of the approved land in Redland,” Ms Sterling said.

“Cr McKenzie said the council was refusing to release land in other areas such as Thornlands and Alexandra Hills because there was enough supply even though developer Fetini was land banking.”

A Redland City Council spokesperson said there had been long been in communication with the property in relation to their desire to subdivide the property.

“An environmental significance overlay has been applied to the property to preserve vegetation that has environmental significance, to maintain its integrity and to protect the vegetation against unsuitable development,” they said.

“Similar zoning and overlays have been consistently applied to the property under historical planning schemes to avoid unnecessary impacts to the vegetation.

“Council acknowledges that the provision of the overlay could complicate certain aspects of development, but the overlay doesn’t preclude development.

“Instead, it provides a mechanism to allow Council officers to consider development proposals ensuring that development is managed to avoid, minimise or mitigate significant impacts on significant vegetation.”

The council has been under scrutiny by the state government for failing to update its housing strategy and for its slow response to investigating uses for hectares of land at southern Thornlands.

The then State Planning Minister Cameron Dick issued Redland a ministerial directive forcing the council to look into the Thornlands future growth area and consult with landowners who have been trying for a decade to subdivide for housing estates.

A letter to Redland council from the then State Planning Minister Cameron Dick who issued a ministerial directive forcing the council to look into the Thornlands future growth area.

The council submitted a report about developing Thornlands to the state in 2021 with the majority of the land designated as Rural Living Precinct with minimum lots of 10,000sqm.

Redland City Council said it was achieving all its dwelling targets in terms of supply and demand and housing mix.

“Regarding the Southern Thornlands Potential Future Growth Area, Council believes this land is strategically important for the entire city, so a city-wide consultation was held, in which landowners in the area were able to provide comment.

“As there had long been much debate about land use recommendations, Council wanted to hear feedback from the entire Redlands Coast community on the proposed balance of future economic and residential use of the land.

The council said the majority of responses were from Thornlands residents. The consultation report available on Council’s Your Say site.

State planning senior officer Kerry Doss wrote to the council telling it the proposed Rural Living Precinct would not be supported by the state as it conflicted with the Shaping SEQ plan.

The state government has been asking Redland City Council since 2018 to update its housing strategy, which it said was based on out-of-date population data.

Mr Miles also issued the council a notice threatening to step in if Redlands had not provided an updated housing strategy by August 30.