Toowoomba’s Avenues of Highfields to start work on latest stages, Hutchinson Builders to upgrade New England Highway intersection

Construction is set to start on the latest stages of a $110m housing estate north of Toowoomba, which will also include the major upgrade of a highway intersection.

Developer Stephen Bowers says work has started on stages 9b and 10 of the Avenues of Highfields subdivision, which will include the $4.5m upgrade of the development's intersection with the New England Highway.

The developers behind an award-winning $110m subdivision north of Toowoomba have started work in the project’s latest stages, which includes significant upgrades to a major highway.

Stages 9b and 10 of the Avenues of Highfields are already under construction with Hutchinson Builders on a large plot of land near the New England Highway.

The new section will add another 72 lots to the market measuring between 450 sqm and 600 sqm, with project manager Stephen Bowers noting several had already been snapped up.

“We’ve got commitments on 12 of them, we’ve only just started marketing them,” he said.

“We’ve got a proven product, we know what we can do in terms of delivering high-quality housing and we’re always open to doing more.”

Work has started on stages 9b and 10 of the Avenues of Highfields subdivision, which will include the $4.5m upgrade of the development's intersection with the New England Highway.

Mr Bowers said the works also included the $4.5m upgrade of the intersection with the New England Highway and Cronins Road.

“This vital infrastructure enhancement is designed to enhance the safety of residents entering the highway from Cronin’s Road, reaffirming our commitment to prioritising the wellbeing and security of our community members,” he said.

“During those soggy mornings in Highfields, it can be quite dangerous, so it will make it much easier to get it in and out of the estate.”

Mr Bowers also defended the size of the new lots, which are expected to sell for up to $300,000, arguing space was at a premium during a period of low housing availability.

Stephen Bowers.

“We’ve been able to provide a diverse range of housing for many people and what a lot of people don’t understand is it’s the way of the future,” he said.

“We’ve got to make the most of the land that we do have — we have to be conscious of meeting the market and ensuring we’re delivering an attractive product.

“In places like the Sunshine Coast, they’re down to 250 sqm, so we’ve got a housing crisis and we’ve got to conserve our resources.

“People would like to live on large blocks, but we’d just have more urban sprawl, like people have criticised various other developments.”

More than 700 people now live in the 13-stage Avenues of Highfields, which in 2022 was named the best residential subdivision in Queensland.

Mr Bowers said Toowoomba remained an attractive option for people living in the southeast.

“Toowoomba is a special place — you can get a three-bedroom house and land for around $700,000, for the same product in Brisbane it would be $1m,” he said.

The works are expected to be completed before the end of the year.