General News
25 September, 2024
Housing plans should be ready to enact, says LNP
Councils in Western Queensland have been told by the Opposition to get their plans shovel-ready.
Western Queensland councils with shovel-ready projects will be given priority for $1 billion in new housing development funding under an elected LNP government, says opposition spokesperson for local government Ann Leahy.
The news has been welcomed by North West mayors, who have identified housing shortages as one of the major pitfalls to local economic growth.
The LNP government has announced a $2 billion plan to fast-track new housing developments across the state through funding the vital local government trunk infrastructure, such as powerlines, curbing and sewerage, which often hampers the construction of sub-divisions.
It has been announced that $1 billion of this funding is “ringfenced” for regional communities.
With some estimates suggesting there is a shortage of up to 2000 homes across Western Queensland, Ms Leahy said that “priority” would be given to any council with shovel-ready housing projects.
In an election pitch to the smaller shires lining the Western Queensland highways, Ms Leahy said these councils would be among the first in line to be considered for the ringfenced funding because their projects were “shovel-ready.”
“There are councils across the North West who have land and the plan ready to go – they just need the funding,” Ms Leahy said while in Mount Isa for the Western Queensland Alliance of Councils Assembly.
“We have to reward those councils for the work they have done. Often they can bring their projects online faster.
“It is much easier to deliver a dozen homes in Boulia than 1200 in Cairns – bigger is not always best.
“If the projects will bring more housing online faster, then we will give priority to them.”
Boulia Shire mayor Rick Britton said his council had land allocated for a 24-block residential development, with six blocks made shovel-ready in the hope of securing money from an elected LNP government.
“We struggle to get the money to build the curbing and the sewerage needed to complete a development,” he said.
“When we saw their (LNP) announcement we got six blocks ready – thinking this is our chance. Six blocks won’t make a difference to a suburb of Toowoomba but it will make a hell of a difference in Boulia.”
McKinlay Shire mayor Janene Fegan said her council planned to prepare six residential blocks for new houses and units as part of the second stage of their development.
She said her council would make these blocks shovel-ready to attract funding.
Richmond Shire mayor John Wharton said his council had a 56-house subdivision that was shovel-ready and would make an application to complete sections of the project if there was an elected LNP government.
“We have projects such as CopperString and proposed projects such as an Inland Port that would require more housing,” he said.