Gold Coast development: Why density must increase in suburbs across the city

The Gold Coast’s planning boss warns the city will “continue to bleed out our best” if it fails to get housing affordability under control, foreshadowing a “significant conversation” on density.

The Gold Coast’s planning boss warns the city will “continue to bleed out our best” if it fails to get housing affordability under control, foreshadowing a “significant conversation” on ramping up density.

Amid the city’s housing crisis, development is failing to keep pace with dramatic population growth, as more than 15,000 people move here annually.

With property values skyrocketing and a desperate need for new, affordable, housing, council planning committee head Mark Hammel said many suburbs would need to increase in density.

“A significant conversation will be happening about density, where people will go and the problem we face,” he said.

“Every suburb is going to feel some of this pain. We need to make sure we are prepared to be honest with the community about that and doing the work through our infrastructure plan is an important part.

Councillor Mark Hammel Picture: Glenn Campbell

“We have targets set by the state government based on projected population growth, we need to work with the community in explaining what they mean, what the impact will be and why there must be parts where there will be an expectation of development occurring to convert single dwellings or two-three storey ones into higher-density multi-unit projects.

“The population is coming, so where are these people going to live?

“It is not just about interstate or overseas migration, it’s also about ensuring young Gold Coasters have an opportunity to purchase their first properties here because if we do not then we will continue to bleed out our best to other cities because they cannot afford to live here.”

The Gold Coast recorded the country’s highest house rental prices, exceeding Sydney and Brisbane by $100 and $225 a week respectively, new data this month showed.

The Rent Report found the median weekly price was $845, up $45 on the previous month.

Research by real estate firm Colliers International in February warned of a “lack of trust” in developers being able to deliver projects and rapidly dropping stock levels.

High construction costs, material shortages, interest rate rises and lack of tradies have slowed the construction sector in the past 18 months as the city’s population growth accelerated.

An aerial of Coomera

The 2023 Gold Coast Dwelling Supply Study warned a large number of proposed houses are unlikely to ever get built for economic reasons and other solutions will be needed to ensure housing catches up with population growth.

Mr Hammel said it was critically important to resolve the question over increased density and ensure housing remained affordable.

“If we cannot, it has a very real impact on how many nurses we have in hospitals, how many teachers we have in schools and enough cops on the beat because they need to be able to afford to buy where they work,” he said.

“Tourism and hospitality rely on tens of thousands of workers who struggle to afford to live here already and if we do not increase the supply, where will they live?

“It cannot be a blanket increase in density everywhere, it must be targeted in the right locations served by infrastructure, quality public transport and all the necessary ingredients to serve the people.”

Andrew Henderson. Picture, Portia Large.

Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ) Gold Coast boss Andrew Henderson said increased density was a “reality” the city needed to face.

“We need to accept an increase in density must occur and along with this, we have to ensure residents are involved in the conversation to make sure that is done to a level where it provides housing but also retains the liveability of the area,” he said.

“In the end we have to accept it and the community has to be open to the idea of accepting it.

“The reason they moved here and they live in the area is the Gold Coast is a beautiful area and everyone else should be entitled to come here too.

“If they do good planning, they will get a good outcome.”

ANZ boss Shayne Elliott earlier this month said he “can’t see” any reason why demand for the city’s property, already at a premium, would drop as people migrate north to Queensland in search of lifestyle and opportunities and warned more needed to be done to solve the issue.

FIRST LOOK: HOUSING ESTATE TO SIT BETWEEN SCHOOLS

Artist impression of the proposed Billinghurst Residences. Picture: Supplied

Plans for a giant housing estate between two of the northern Gold Coast’s busiest schools have been unveiled.

Runaway Bay Partners Development want to build the Billinghurst Residences, a 150-townhouse project, on a 31,260sq m site in Upper Coomera.

The undeveloped bushland backs onto Assisi Catholic College and neighbours Coomera Anglican College on Billinghurst Crescent.

The houses will have a mixture of three and four-bedroom configurations and will all be two-storeys.

According to a planning report lodged with the council, the project will be aimed at providing affordable housing in the area.

Its location sits between two schools. Picture: Supplied

“This proposal seeks to provide various styles of affordable-living, townhouse-style dwelling units on site, which accommodate a much-desired market within the Upper Coomera locality,” the report reads.

“This is to say the proposed units may be perfect for those families that perhaps can’t budget for the square metreage associated with the detached dwelling house and duplex properties that seem to dominate the southern portion of the suburb.

“For those families with children that go to schools perhaps further away, the site benefits from exquisite access to public transport infrastructure, with six sets of bus stops located within walking distance (400m) of the site, to the north or south. Subsequently, this development provides the perfect mechanism for families on a budget, which wish to have easy access to schools and centres.”

The project will go before the council’s planning committee later this year.

OPINION: JACKSON HILLS ON WHY WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT DENSITY

Manager, Policy and Strategic Engagement for QShelter Jackson Hills.

It is time to get serious about density.

As newly elected councillors are sworn in, the focus turns to delivering on the mandate given to them. However, this term brings with it a unique challenge: Southeast Queensland (SEQ) is expected to experience exponential population growth by 2046, with the Gold Coast alone needing to accommodate 388,300 more people and 161,700 new dwellings. To achieve this, SEQ councils will have to adopt a mix of housing typologies, including increased infill development, more medium-high density, and some new land release.

Although infill and density may present the biggest challenge, we must work with the community to meet this demand through a variety of housing types and choices, rather than just assuming that density is only about constructing large towers. It is far more nuanced than that.

Take the proposed new residential developments at Foxwell Road in Coomera, for example. The developer is seeking an uplift in their scheme to accommodate more dwellings, including more affordable rentals. This sits in a diverse plan that has a mix of housing types, including detached homes, duplexes, and apartments, in a low, medium, and high-rise setting. The uplift would accommodate 720 new dwellings, from what I understand. While there may be transportation challenges in that area right now, this is a perfect example of how we might meet the significant demand for housing and how the community can benefit from it. In my opinion, we need to consider what type of housing and how it should be delivered, rather than objecting to density in absolute terms. If we do not act on this now, I fear we are just kicking the problem down the road.

As a Coomera resident, I understand the challenges. My wife and I bought there knowing it was a future urban growth area that would provide for some of the residential demands of the Gold Coast. Therefore, a development proposal like this did not surprise me. Rather, it is a ‘litmus test’ for the sort of density that must be considered, in the right locations, to meet forecast demand. Of course, I accept the arguments about transport and infrastructure, and that is exactly the sort of case that needs to be made to the State Government for investment, to complement residential developments like this one, and many others.

The City of Gold Coast is undergoing renewal of its own right now, with five new councillors joining the fold and a transition to a new Deputy Mayor. It is encouraging to see the mix of skills the new councillors bring, which complement the experience and steady hand of many existing councillors, including Planning Chair, Mark Hammel. We need to have important conversations with the community about how to meet population demand.

We are eager to collaborate with the council, development industry, and wider community to play a role in delivery of affordable housing in the Gold Coast market. Given the region has one of the highest unmet housing needs in the country, we need to act now.

Jackson Hills is the Policy & Strategic Engagement Manager a Q Shelter, the state’s peak body for housing and homelessness, and Coomera resident.