Toowoomba council approves variation request for next section of Gainsborough Lodge at Wellcamp

Council has fast-tracked plans for nearly 1000 new home sites in Toowoomba's west, bringing forward development originally slated for the 2040s.

The non-PIA section of Gainsborough Lodge, which has been approved for a variation request by the Toowoomba Regional Council.

A plan to create housing for potentially more than 2700 new residents in Toowoomba’s western suburbs has taken a big step forward following a council decision.

The Richards Group has been approved by the Toowoomba Regional Council for a variation request over the remaining stages of its Gainsborough Lodge subdivision on an 84-hectare parcel of land in Wellcamp.

The site, which is zoned as rural and falls outside the council’s priority infrastructure area (PIA), comes a year after the developer and Wagner Corporation started civil works on the first nine stages of the project on land to the east — itself worth about 400 lots.

Richards Group managing director Melinda Richards and Wagner Corporation director Denis Wagner at their Gainsborough Lodge subdivision, off Toowoomba-Cecil Plains Road in Wellcamp, Friday, August 23, 2024. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Last week’s unanimous decision by the councillors to approve a variation request means future subdivision applications will be assessed as if it was a low-density residential zone.

While the exact number of lots has not been confirmed given future proposals would need to be lodged for actual subdivision, the plan was approved based on a ratio of 11 dwellings per hectare.

The council estimated this would create 924 lots to house potentially 2700 people.

The proposal was recommended for approval by new TRC planning and development general manager Ed Johnson, who argued for work to be brought forward more than a decade before original council projections.

“The West Toowoomba Land Use Investigation (2016) identifies the site for residential development between 2036-2050,” his report said.

“More recently, the Toowoomba Region Growth Plan (TRGP), endorsed in April 2023, designates the site within the ‘urban expansion area’ of the ‘Western Toowoomba future growth area’.

“Although the TRGP does not prescribe development timing, preliminary and indicative growth modelling by council forecasts development commencement on the subject site in the 2040s.

“Despite the zone and conflict, the proposed development aligns with the long-term strategic planning and the growth projections, as well as infrastructure capacity and timing for delivery, and a balanced assessment supports a recommendation for approval subject to conditions.”

While councillors held no opposition to the proposal, councillor Tim McMahon queried what impact greenlighting development outside the PIA would have on existing residents currently in it.

“You can only do it outside the PIA if it’s not going to impact the infrastructure to the houses that are approved within the PIA,” he said.

“The only question I have unanswered is if, in really crude terms, someone were to flush the toilet inside the PIA, it’s going to be clogged because houses outside the PIA are taking all the infrastructure.”

Mr John said the proposed development would largely involve extensions of existing urban networks with augmentations required downstream.

However, the assessment and technical reports identified upwards of $13m in infrastructure that might need to be upgraded or built ahead of time, with the developer reportedly helping to pay for a portion of it.

Assets highlighted include an upgrade to the Gowrie Junction pump station, new water mains along Toowoomba Cecil Plains Road and Hursley Road, a new detention basin and realignment of Deuble Road.

The council has also projected the Kooringa Valley sewer pump station will exceed its capacity five years earlier than expected if the project’s potential size of 2700 people is realised.

Richards Group managing director Melinda Richards said master planning on the subject site would start next year.

Wagner Corporation director Denis Wagner and Richards Group managing director Melinda Richards at their Gainsborough Lodge subdivision, off Toowoomba-Cecil Plains Road in Wellcamp, Friday, August 23, 2024. Picture: Kevin Farmer

“This is wonderful for the Gainsborough Lodge site and a great decision for the Toowoomba region, as the region is growing rapidly, and demand for housing is exceeding available supply,” she said.

‘We are looking forward to master planning this portion of the Gainsborough Lodge site next year to create a clear vision and a bold plan for the future.”

Group general manager Craig Wallace said stage one of Gainsborough Lodge had already sold out.

“There has been exceedingly high demand for quality land development, which is evidenced through the strong enthusiasm from the market place from local, regional and interstate buyers,” he said.

“The first stage of 56 lots is all under contract and the first settlements scheduled next month.

“We have had overwhelming interest in Stage two, which comprises of 49 lots which is scheduled for release mid 2026.”