State takes on Redland over cheap housing proposed for prime bayside real estate
A housing developer hopes to take advantage of new state laws designed to skirt local planning red tape to build affordable units for rent on waterside land on Brisbane’s bayside.
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The state planning office has used its powers to take on the planning assessment role for 75 “cheap and affordable” units for prime land overlooking Moreton Bay, sidelining council approval.
The two levels of government have been in a bitter row over housing since July 2021, when the then State Development Minister Steven Miles accused Redland’s previous mayor of failing to adequately plan for a massive population boom.
The latest stoush is over developer Lyndoc Capital Management turning a prime piece of bayside realty on Broadwater Terrace, opposite the Redland Bay Shopping Village, into a high-rise residential block of units possibly using cheap building materials to cut costs.
The proposed development is part of the state’s effort to meet the National Housing Accord, which aims to build 1.2 million homes across the nation by 2029, with Queensland given a target of 240,000.
The development falls under the state’s $3.1 billion “Homes for Queenslanders” plan and is part of the new “State Facilitated Development” scheme, designed to speed up housing approvals.
Lyndoc Capital Management wants to build the units to rent, promising to dedicate at least 15 per cent, or 12 homes, to affordable housing to get the fast-track state treatment.
The site is well connected to buses, shops, the pub, and the bay, with key features including on-site parking and communal spaces.
At this month’s Redland council meeting, officers expressed concerns that the project would make use of the state government’s new definition of “affordable”, which allows developers to use cheaper materials to cut costs.
The council was told the definition of “affordable housing” was no longer based on the price being 20 per cent lower than the market or on how much of an average income is needed to buy a property.
Officers said the council warned the state that using cheaper kitchens or lower-cost fixtures in the project to meet the new definition might not actually make the housing more affordable.
Angry councillors said they were shocked that “cheaper building materials and fixtures” would be used, rather than lowering the overall end price for buyers or renters.
Councillor Paul Golle questioned whether money could have been saved by building the units on less expensive real estate away from the bay.
“The state is going to actually allow the use of the lowest and cheapest products and fixtures in the property market to essentially make the units affordable,” Cr Golle said.
“This could have future potential impacts for the council and the end user,” he added.
Cr Golle said it was unfair that some projects could bypass council development processes, and that the state could take land for easement access without giving the public the right to lodge concerns.
The real estate row follows the state passing contentious laws in April, granting it extensive new powers to build housing without needing to meet local laws or conduct public assessments.
The new laws also allow “State Facilitated Developments”, such as the Redland Bay proposal, to bypass local government planning processes in an effort to speed up housing construction and address the state’s housing crisis.
Under the laws, the Planning Minister is also able to take land deemed necessary for public housing and to create easements for infrastructure if negotiations with a local council have failed.
Once a State Facilitated Development application is declared, there is no obligation for the state to consult with the council during the assessment phase.
Public feedback on the proposal closed last week and the state is assessing the matter.
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Originally published as State takes on Redland over cheap housing proposed for prime bayside real estate
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