Harbour Shores: Lewis Land Group’s Biggera Waters development approved by council
A $1.5BN housing development which will transform one of the Gold Coast’s last remaining greenfield sites has been given the green light.
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A $1.5BN housing development which will transform one of the Gold Coast’s last remaining greenfield sites has been given the green light.
The Gold Coast City Council has approved Lewis Land Group’s Harbour Shores masterplanned precinct in Biggera Waters.
The 16ha site, which stretches along 1.5km of canal-front, will become home to more than 2000 houses and nearly 5000 people, with the company planning to build 30 buildings which will range from two to 12 levels.
Lewis Land Group chief executive Matthew McCarron said the resort-style project would be fast-tracked to the market before Christmas in a bid to relieve pressure on the city’s housing market.
“The masterplan approval represents the final step in the planning process, and we intend to fast-track the first release of apartments and waterfront villas,” he said. said.
“For Harbour Shores we have brought together leading Australian architects and urban planners to design a community that embraces its environment and contributes to the architectural landscape and lifestyle of the city for years to come.
“Over the course of the next decade, it will deliver more than 2,000 dwellings, communal open spaces and parklands, a waterfront boardwalk, private marina berths, retail and commercial spaces, and a range of resident amenities including rooftop and lagoon-style pools, tennis courts and clubhouse facilities.”
The project is expected to create more than 5000 jobs during the 10-year construction phase.
The developer, who built the neighbouring Harbour Town Shopping Centre in the 1990s, is aiming to make the residential precinct environmentally friendly.
“More than 54 per cent of the masterplan is dedicated to open green spaces, landscaping, and communal areas, and the community also maximises its connection with Harbour Town Premium Outlets and its considerable water frontage,” Mr McCarron said.
“A diverse range of villa and mid-rise apartments will embrace the waterfront and park-front edges, while central garden apartments will adjoin the precinct’s recreation hub and sporting facilities, providing a range of price points.”
It comes just days after a new report by leading national real estate firm CBRE revealed the level of housing development currently proposed for the Gold Coast will not come close to solving the city’s accommodation crisis.
The report showed the number of dwellings on the Gold Coast increased by 1222 in 2022, while the population grew by more than 14,000 people, or around 6000 households.
It warns pressure will continue to grow for both renters and buyers.
Veteran developer Bob Ell this week called for different levels of government to work with him to solve environmental red tape issues delaying his projects at Coomera, Cobaki Lakes and King’s Forrest.
Mr Ell, who has been in the development game for more than 50 years, says he could take up to 16,000 houses and units across the Gold Coast and Tweed to the market “tomorrow”.
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