Developers to meet with council over land availability
SOME of Toowoomba’s top developers will meet with the council and key state government officials to debate land availability across the region.
Property
Don't miss out on the headlines from Property. Followed categories will be added to My News.
SOME of Toowoomba's top developers will meet with the council and key state government officials to debate land availability across the region.
Key development figures like Hallmark Property's Ian Knox, Wagner Corporation's Denis Wagner, FKG Group's Dallas Hunter and the UDIA's Stephen Bowers will make their case for an expansion of the TRC's priority infrastructure area.
The PIA is one planning instrument the council uses to dictate where future urban development should go.
The meeting was organised by planning and development chair Cr Megan O'Hara Sullivan, and will feature officials from the State Government's Regional and Spatial Planning group and its statistician's office.
Mr Knox said the industry wanted the council to consider opening more land up for residential development in the greater Toowoomba area, arguing supply was not keeping up with demand.
It comes as demand for vacant lots has increased following the release of the Federal Government's HomeBuilder grant.
"We've put together an eight-page submission that we're going to release at the meeting on September 1," Mr Knox said.
"It just gives a clear, unambiguous position on the reality of the land supply situation.
"The availability of land from 2021 to 2025 is extremely dire.
"The reality is you have builders seeking land and developers searching for it."
Cr O'Hara Sullivan said the council took a very different view of the situation, arguing there was more than enough land available for future development.
She said the meeting was organised to help both the council and industry figures reach a common understanding.
"There is already land there in the PIA, but the ones who own that (land) were not ready to seal it because there was not the demand (previously)," Cr O'Hara Sullivan said.
"Developers have one priority in mind, and it's to make money, and council's priority is to make sure the ratepayers don't get overcharged.
"It's about reaching a common understanding about the way things are.
"I want the development industry to know we want to listen to our concerns, but for the ratepayer to know we're not beholden to developers."
Mr Knox said the council was looking at land availability holistically rather than from a commercial perspective.
"They look at the entire area, which includes the surrounding towns, and they include all of that land," he said.
"When you look at the reality on the ground, there's no land left in Cambooya, Wyreema, Westbrook.
"Glenvale is extremely fragmented and most people who do find greenfield sites, they're either small or require further amalgamation.
"When you look at Middle Ridge, that is complete."
Mr Wagner said he was happy to open up a dialogue with the council as long as it delivered results.
"I feel that there are a number of people who share the same concerns that we have, (around the) amount of available land for residential development," he said.
"The council doesn't acknowledge that there is a lack of supply.
"When there's a dialogue, there's a chance of getting some issues resolved (but) we'll be looking for action."
The meeting will be held on Tuesday September 1 at City Hall.
Northern Rivers council axes public access
After several motions stating local communities were being cut from a fair and democratic process, a Northern Rivers council has voted to severely limit public access and question time in its meetings.
New ‘eco-village’ greenlit for Northern Rivers
After three years of planning, the Afterlee Ecovillage has received approval from Kyogle Council, bringing an intriguing development to the community of Kyogle.