Cairns real estate: New home construction booms despite council approval bottleneck
A top builder has urged Cairns Regional Council to deal with a bottleneck of development approvals or risk sending the industry into a thumb-twiddling waiting game.
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A TOP builder has urged Cairns Regional Council to deal with a bottleneck of development approvals or risk sending the industry into a thumb-twiddling waiting game.
Bridgewater Builders director Peter Bridgewater said it was a race to get new stock online fast enough to meet the market’s appetite.
Unfortunately the council’s sluggish planning department had made it a hurdle event.
“It’s just a once-in-a-lifetime boom, I think,” Mr Bridgewater said.
“It’s weird. We don’t know what’s driving it.
“It’s not the southerners for us, it’s still the locals.”
Bridgewater has been building homes from Gordonvale to Palm Cove with considerable portfolios at Cherrybrook Estate in Bentley Park and Bluewater in Trinity Beach.
“It’s really just about whoever has the land ready first,” Mr Bridgewater said.
“The only problem is council not releasing new land.
“They sit on it and then all of a sudden push out all of the subdivisions in one day.
“It would be nice to have some continuity.”
The council last month noted a significant increase in development applications and pre-lodgement inquiries.
In particular, pre-lodgement inquiries were up 32 per cent in August compared to the previous year.
“From a workload perspective, that is causing a number of issues within the planning team,” planning and environment interim general manager Martin Garred said.
“We are currently implementing some temporary staffing increases to deal with the number of applications going through the system, to ensure we’re continuing to provide timely advice to customers.”
However, Mr Bridgewater voiced another concern that has been needling the industryin recent weeks – a surprise decision to increase infrastructure costs to the maximum rate allowed in Queensland.
“Normally with a supplier, they give you notice,” he said.
“If we buy concrete, we know what’s happening three months ahead so we can factor it in.
“The council hit us with new fees overnight and say take it or leave it – and it’s still the usual snail service.”
Back at Bridgewater headquarters, a whiteboard stands front and centre with a list of 40 new homes ready to be built whenever council planners process the approvals.
“It’s a two-speed town at the moment. Building is going gangbusters and tourism is falling in a hole,” Mr Bridgewater said.
“If we keep tradies going, that keeps the suppliers and all the other industries in Cairns going.”
The council has been asked for comment.
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Originally published as Cairns real estate: New home construction booms despite council approval bottleneck
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