Toowoomba Regional Council approves variation request for 1000-lot subdivision Habitat Mt Kynoch at special meeting

The Toowoomba Regional Council has approved the first step of a 1000-lot subdivision that has been described as the city’s newest suburb. And the first lots might be available soon than you think.

APPROVED: The 1000-lot masterplanned community Habitat Mt Kynoch has been approved by the Toowoomba Regional Council.

The first lots in a massive new masterplanned community north of Toowoomba could be ready by next year, after the council approved the framework needed to complete the subdivision at a special meeting.

Councillors voted unanimously on Wednesday to approve a variation request related to the 1000-lot Habitat Mt Kynoch development, based on more than 147 hectares just off the New England Highway.

The planned community features a number of different precincts, including medium, lifestyle, hillside and low density residential, as well as local commercial centres and massive open spaces for parkland.

Council planner Peter Swan recommended the variation request be approved, which will now allow the developer to move ahead with the actual applications for subdivision.

The developer will also dedicate a portion of land on the eastern side of the site, to cater for the future expansion of the Mt Kynoch water treatment plant.

Speaking for the applicant, Precinct Urban Planning’s Andrew Bullen said the approval was an important first step towards seeing the development realised.

“What this approval does is it puts a master plan over the site — it’s only the first stage in a very long approval process,” he said.

“I reckon lots on the ground will be around 18 months away.

“I would say it’s a necessary prerequisite to subdividing the land — it does set it up for future development.”

As part of the approval, the developer will need to either contribute $2.9 million to the TRC for extra parkland or building that required infrastructure itself.

The development was deemed to not have an excess impact on all other trunk infrastructure networks, like roads, sewerage and water, subject to appropriate conditions.

It comes as voices within the development and real estate sectors continue to call for more land to be made available to cater for the city’s future growth.

TRC planning and development chair Cr Megan O’Hara Sullivan said she was pleased with the outcome.

“We’ve always known this has been in the pipeline and we’ve been factoring it in with our planning scheme reviews,” she said.

“We always knew this was being worked on and that this could be part of our potential supply.

“There was that hand-wringing about there not being enough supply, (but) we’re taking everything into account.”

The rollout of the development is expected to take between 10 and 15 years to complete.