General News
10 September, 2024
Cloncurry council offering $30k to anyone that builds a house
The council says it wants to incentivise growth in the shire.
Nine new houses are just the beginning if Cloncurry mayor Greg Campbell gets his way.
While the ribbon has been cut to officially open the new homes built in a partnership between the federal government and the shire, Cloncurry still needs more housing to achieve its growth plans, the mayor says.
Which is why the council has introduced a new policy that it hopes will inspire development in the community.
Any new builds, regardless of whether the owner is already a home owner, will be eligible for a $30,000 grant. For first home buyers, the council’s injection would be on top of the existing schemes offered at a state and federal government level.
“This grant will enable more people to build a home in Cloncurry,” Cr Campbell said.
The Cloncurry Home Owner Grant Program builds on other economic development initiatives and aims to increase the housing stock in the shire.
Cr Campbell said the Shop Front Revitalisation Grant, implemented by the council across 2019-2022, was a big success.
“The Cloncurry council is one of only a handful offering an incentive like this, aimed at driving growth in our shire,” the mayor said.
“We want to encourage people to put down roots here.
“Cloncurry Shire is a great place to live and work, and we want to help people establish themselves here.
“A huge part of making somewhere home is having a house that suits your needs and is your own.
“This grant will help new and local families create a place for them and help improve our towns’ housing stock.”
Queensland Senator Anthony Chisholm, who attended last week’s official opening of the nine new homes, said he enjoyed seeing councils like Cloncurry taking an initiative to fix the local housing shortage.
“It’s making a difference for the local community,” he said.
“I know that there’s some from the mining community (in the new houses), which is great to see their investment in town, but there’s also a local principal who’s living there at the same time so it’s making a difference for the community in terms of trying to attract people to the town who can provide a service and that’s really exciting for Cloncurry.
“This was probably a different project to what we’re seeing around the country, but we need more housing of all types.”
More information about the Cloncurry Home Owner Grant Program can be found on the council’s website.