Brisbane City Council resumes Rochedale land for road reserve

Significant growth in a suburb tipped to become one of Brisbane’s largest after humble beginnings as a rural outpost is putting pressure on its roads.

Rochedale’s population has tripled since 2011 and a new town centre, to be completed this year, will take the suburb “to the next level”, the local councillor says.

SIGNIFICANT growth in a suburb tipped to become one of Brisbane’s largest after humble beginnings as a rural outpost is putting pressure on its roads.

Brisbane City Council has voted to resume two parcels of land, at 605 Rochedale Rd and 244 Gardner Rd at Rochedale, to upgrade the suburb’s road network.

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said the suburb’s redevelopment was pressuring the roads and the resumptions were the best way to ensure council had road reserve to upgrade them.

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It is the latest indicator of the growth in suburb at the border of Brisbane and Logan since the Rochedale Urban Community Local Plan was introduced in 2007.

Cr Adrian Schrinner (Chandler) said he grew up in Brisbane’s southeast and remembered when Rochedale was a farming community.

It will go from a rural farming community to, essentially, a large sized suburb comparable to somewhere like Carindale and Coorparoo in population,” he said.

“Carindale’s one of the biggest suburbs in Brisbane, and Rochedale is on that transition. That’s the path it’s on.”

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Rochedale, at Brisbane’s southern border, is changing from a rural community into one of the city’s largest suburbs. Picture: Richard Walker

Cr Schrinner said the area was close to good schools like Rochedale State School, Redeemer Lutheran College, Rochedale State High and was convenient to Sunnybank.

“The cultural diversity you see in Sunnybank you’re seeing similar things repeated out in Rochedale, so that means there’s a lot of interest in great restaurants and unique shops opening up like you see in Sunnybank,” he said.

The Australian Census in 2006 and 2011 showed the population hovered around 1000 but by 2016 the population had tripled, up to 3175.

Good schools, like Redeemer Lutheran College, are a big draw card for families wanting to move to Rochedale. Picture: Elise Searson

Real Estate Industry Queensland communications manager Felicity Moore said five years ago the annual median house price was $665,000 but has grown 45 per cent to $964,000.

Over the 12 months to September 2018, the price grew 2.9 per cent.

“These growth figures are particularly favourable when you consider that Brisbane LGA has grown 28.5 per cent over the past five years and just 2.3 per cent over the past 12 months,” she said.

“Rochedale’s house price growth is stronger than the LGA average, which is a good indicator of its popularity with buyers.”

The median house price for Rochedale has risen from $665,000 to $964,000 in five years. Picture: Supplied

Cr Schrinner said “a lot” of house and land estates had boosted the population but that local retail and business opportunities would take Rochedale “to the next level”.

The IGA supermarket and other small business, opened in recent months and the Rochedale Village Centre, owned by Coles, is under construction at the intersection of Gardner Rd and Miles Platting Rd.

A Coles spokeswoman said project would create 275 construction jobs and 220 retail jobs and would be completed later this year.

An artist's impression of the Coles-anchored Rochedale Village on the corner of Gardner Rd and Miles Platting Rd. The centre is under construction and should open this year.

“The Rochedale Village Centre spans over approximately 7000 sqm and includes a state-of-the-art Coles supermarket, speciality retailers, a Town Square and Community Hall, medical centre and other commercial outlets,” she said.

The development will relocate the Rochedale Church and converting the space into a community hall within a new village park.

The supermarket giant will also upgrade Miles Platting Rd and Gardner Rd, build new town centre roads, pedestrian footpaths, bus shelters, streetscape improvements and works to water and sewer networks.