Gold Coast jobs: Suburbs with the most building and construction activity in 2020
The Gold Coast’s building boom is continuing despite COVID-19, with new data revealing the suburbs most in demand. SEE HOW YOUR SUBURB COMPARES
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GOLD Coast builders have emerged as a rare winner of the coronavirus crisis with $200 million worth of work lodged in June alone.
The unexpected windfall comes as most other sectors in the city, and abroad, have suffered severe downturns.
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New Australian Bureau of Statistics data reveals 285 residential building applications were approved in June, up from 135 in May.
The significant jump in activity is being attributed to state and federal governments’ COVID-19 economic stimulus measures such as the first homebuyer scheme and announcement of the HomeBuilder program, in which owner-occupiers can apply for a $25,000 grant to build a new home or renovate an existing dwelling.
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Developer and past UDIA state president Stephen Harrison said the grant programs were a “significant” reason behind the activity.
“We are still operating with the enforced COVID-19 lockdowns that other states have been affected by and anecdotally the builders I talk to say they are having their busiest months ever.
“This is also partially because there are people who are in the stringent lockdowns of Victoria who are looking to move up here and these numbers will reflect these interstate investors who cannot do any of this as broadly in Victoria as they can up here.”
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Coolangatta, Pimpama, Coomera and Palm Beach recorded the highest number of building approvals in June.
The most amount of amount of money ($49.2 million) was being spent in Surfers Paradise.
The greatest level of work is centred in the city’s north and south; there is much less activity in the central suburbs. Some suburbs, including southern Southport, Molendinar, Currumbin-Tugun and Merrimac, recorded no new approvals in June.
Master Builders Queensland Gold Coast boss John Duncalfe said tradies had been run off their feet in recent months.
“On the housing side of things the numbers jumped up dramatically and we can only put this down to the introduction of the HomeBuilder and first homeowner grants,” he said.
“This, along with the amount of commercial developments, shows people still have confidence in the Gold Coast market.
“Consumer confidence is good though of course it is all predicated on what is happening with COVID. If it rises then this will hurt confidence.”
Year on year, the overall number of building applications in June was down nearly 8 per cent when compared to the same month in 2019.
The overall value of the development industry in June was down 14 per cent on the same time last year, from $2.9 billion to $2.5 billion.
City planning boss Cr Cameron Caldwell said the new ABS figures “confirms the high levels of development activity which continue to provide jobs here on the Gold Coast”.
“There are indications that the HomeBuilder program has provided significant and well-targeted stimulus which the Gold Coast has been a major beneficiary of.
“It is great to see the construction industry continuing to provide strong employment for Gold Coasters.”
GOLD COAST BUILDING APPROVALS, MAY-JUNE 2020
ARUNDEL
May 2020
Total dwellings: 1
New houses: 1
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 4
New houses: 4
New other residential: 0
June 2020 total building values: $1.1m
ASHMORE
May 2020
Total dwellings: 0
New houses: 0
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 1
New houses: 1
New other residential: 0
June 2020 total building values: $640,000
BENOWA
May 2020
Total dwellings: 1
New houses: 1
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 3
New houses: 3
New other residential: 0
June 2020 total building values: $2.4m
BIGGERA WATERS
May 2020
Total dwellings: 0
New houses: 0
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 4
New houses: 0
New other residential: 4
June 2020 total building values: $1.2m
BROADBEACH WATERS
May 2020
Total dwellings: 5
New houses: 5
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 0
New houses: 0
New other residential: 0
June 2020 total building values: Nil
BUNDALL
May 2020
Total dwellings: 0
New houses: 0
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 2
New houses: 0
New other residential: 2
June 2020 total building values: $396,000
BURLEIGH HEADS
May 2020
Total dwellings: 5
New houses: 2
New other residential: 3
June 2020
Total dwellings: 10
New houses: 2
New other residential: 8
June 2020 total building values: $14.7m
CARRARA
May 2020
Total dwellings: 0
New houses: 0
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 1
New houses: 1
New other residential: 0
June 2020 total building values: $543,000
CLEAR ISLAND WATERS
May 2020
Total dwellings: 0
New houses: 0
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 0
New houses: 0
New other residential: 0
June 2020 total building values: Nil
COOLANGATTA
May 2020
Total dwellings: 6
New houses: 0
New other residential: 6
June 2020
Total dwellings: 34
New houses: 2
New other residential: 32
June 2020 total building values: $11.5m
COOMBABAH
May 2020
Total dwellings: 0
New houses: 0
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 1
New houses: 1
New other residential: 0
June 2020 total building values: $223,700
COOMERA
May 2020
Total dwellings: 15
New houses: 15
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 26
New houses: 24
New other residential: 2
June 2020 total building values: $8.1m
CURRUMBIN-TUGUN
May 2020
Total dwellings: 0
New houses: 0
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 0
New houses: 0
New other residential: 0
June 2020 total building values: Nil
CURRUMBIN VALLEY-TALLEBUDGERA
May 2020
Total dwellings: 0
New houses: 0
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 1
New houses: 1
New other residential: 0
June 2020 total building values: $837,300
CURRUMBIN WATERS
May 2020
Total dwellings: 0
New houses: 0
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 4
New houses: 0
New other residential: 4
June 2020 total building values: $2m
ELANORA
May 2020
Total dwellings: 2
New houses: 2
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 3
New houses: 3
New other residential 0
June 2020 total building values: $1.5m
GUANABA-SPRINGBROOK
May 2020
Total dwellings: 2
New houses: 2
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 1
New houses: 1
New other residential: 0
June 2020 total building values: $109,700
HELENSVALE
May 2020
Total dwellings: 7
New houses: 7
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 7
New houses: 7
New other residential: 0
June 2020 total building values: $3.4m
HIGHLAND PARK
May 2020
Total dwellings: 1
New houses: 1
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 0
New houses: 0
New other residential: 0
June 2020 total building values: Nil
HOPE ISLAND
May 2020
Total dwellings: 4
New houses: 4
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 44
New houses: 5
New other residential: 39
June 2020 total building values: $12.7m
LABRADOR
May 2020
Total dwellings: 1
New houses: 1
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 3
New houses: 3
New other residential: 0
June 2020 total building values: $1.3m
MAIN BEACH
May 2020
Total dwellings: 0
New houses: 0
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 1
New houses: 1
New other residential: 0
June 2020 total building values: $193,800
MERMAID BEACH-BROADBEACH
May 2020
Total dwellings: 0
New houses: 0
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 4
New houses: 0
New other residential: 4
June 2020 total building values: $7.5m
MERMAID WATERS
May 2020
Total dwellings: 1
New houses: 1
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 5
New houses: 3
New other residential: 2
June 2020 total building values: $4.3m
MERRIMAC
May 2020
Total dwellings: 0
New houses: 0
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 0
New houses: 0
New other residential: 0
June 2020 total building values: Nil
MIAMI
May 2020
Total dwellings: 1
New houses: 1
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 0
New houses: 0
New other residential: 0
June 2020 total building values: Nil
MOLENDINAR
May 2020
Total dwellings: 0
New houses: 0
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 0
New houses: 0
New other residential: 0
June 2020 total building values: Nil
MUDGEERABA-BONOGIN
May 2020
Total dwellings: 12
New houses: 4
New other residential: 8
June 2020
Total dwellings: 2
New houses: 2
New other residential: 0
June 2020 total building values: $672,000
NERANG-MOUNT NATHAN
May 2020
Total dwellings: 5
New houses: 4
New other residential 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 0
New houses: 0
New other residential: 0
June 2020 total building values: Nil
ORMEAU-YATALA
May 2020
Total dwellings: 8
New houses: 8
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 12
New houses: 9
New other residential: 3
June 2020 total building values: $3.9m
OXENFORD-MAUDSLAND
May 2020
Total dwellings: 3
New houses: 3
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 3
New houses: 1
New other residential: 2
June 2020 total building values: $1.4m
PACIFIC PINES-GAVEN
May 2020
Total dwellings: 0
New houses: 0
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 1
New houses 1
New other residential 0
June 2020 total building values: $325,500
PALM BEACH
May 2020
Total dwellings: 2
New houses: 0
New other residential: 2
June 2020
Total dwellings: 33
New houses: 0
New other residential: 33
June 2020 total building values: $22.5m
PARADISE POINT-HOLLYWELL
May 2020
Total dwellings: 2
New houses: 0
New other residential: 2
June 2020
Total dwellings: 12
New houses: 10
New other residential: 2
June 2020 total building values: $8.3m
PIMPAMA
May 2020
Total dwellings: 35
New houses: 22
New other residential: 13
June 2020
Total dwellings: 40
New houses: 24
New other residential: 16
June 2020 total building values: $9.5m
ROBINA
May 2020
Total dwellings: 0
New houses: 0
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 0
New houses: 0
New other residential: 0
June 2020 total building values: Nil
RUNAWAY BAY
May 2020
Total dwellings: 1
New houses: 1
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 2
New houses: 2
New other residential: 0
June 2020 total building values: $859,500
SOUTHPORT — NORTH
May 2020
Total dwellings: 9
New houses: 1
New other residential: 8
June 2020
Total dwellings: 7
New houses: 1
New other residential: 6
June 2020 total building values: $3.7m
SOUTHPORT — SOUTH
May 2020
Total dwellings: 0
New houses: 0
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 0
New houses: 0
New other residential: 0
June 2020 total building values: Nil
SURFERS PARADISE
May 2020
Total dwellings: 2
New houses: 2
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 3
New houses: 3
New other residential: 0
June 2020 total building values: $49.2m
UPPER COOMERA-WILLOWVALE
May 2020
Total dwellings: 2
New houses: 2
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 6
New houses: 6
New other residential: 0
June 2020 total building values: $3.2m
VARSITY LAKES
May 2020
Total dwellings: 0
New houses: 0
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 1
New houses: 1
New other residential: 0
June 2020 total building values: $226,000
WORONGARY-TALLAI
May 2020
Total dwellings: 1
New houses: 1
New other residential: 0
June 2020
Total dwellings: 4
New houses: 4
New other residential: 0
June 2020 total building values: $3.8m
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