Developers offered up to $100,000 off headworks charges

Construction of medium-density housing is being accelerated with developers offered a very lucrative carrot to get moving in this desperate regional centre. Find out more here.

A lucrative incentive aimed at addressing the Atherton Tablelands housing crisis by creating medium-density housing has caught the attention of developers.

Tablelands Regional Council launched its Investment Incentive Policy – offering subsidies of up to $100,000 on headworks – in July, and recently expanded the scheme.

Mayor Rod Marti said it now included duplexes, developments eligible for government funding, and developments that had been given the green light but hadn’t started before the policy was introduced on July 1.

Tablelands Regional Council's scheme offering to waive up to $100,000 of infrastructure charges on medium-density development has caught the attention of investors and land owners. Picture: Supplied

“It’s been really well-received. We’ve got six projects at the moment in process – that’s the equivalent of 30 to 40 units,” Cr Marti said.

“We’re currently talking to a few more developers who are contemplating proceeding, as well as people with vacant lots who’ve just been sitting on them.

“We have offered something that is worthwhile for them.

As well as waiving infrastructure charges up to $100,000, council is now offering to defer application fees for development.

“Normally that’s upfront, but we are deferring the fee until the time of the development, it makes it a bit easier to start, without a whole bunch of upfront costs,” Cr Marti said.

The Tablelands has a rental vacancy rate of just 0.2 per cent – the second lowest of all Queensland regional areas.

Encouraging affordable medium-density housing is the aim of Tablelands Regional Council’s scheme offering developers lucrative incentives. Picture: Supplied

“It is devastating, we’ve got people who’ve got jobs living in camping grounds and caravans, it’s really quite desperate, and people less fortunate who haven’t got jobs are homeless,” Cr Marti said.

“Council is not immune to this – we recruited a carpenter six months ago, he was highly competent and skilled and he left after four months because he and his wife and their two-year-old were living in a caravan. They couldn’t rent a house anywhere.”

Previously approved medium density development that hasn’t started is now eligible for substantial cost savings under a Tablelands Regional Council policy. Picture: Supplied.

The Tablelands local government area has just 7 per cent of dwellings as medium and high-density housing options compared to 23 per cent in regional Queensland, 24 per cent in Queensland and 27 per cent across Australia, a council report noted.

The scheme requires developers to preference local workers and local suppliers.

On November 17, there were just nine properties for rent across the entire Tablelands region.

Originally published as Developers offered up to $100,000 off headworks charges