Council
31 July, 2024
‘30,000 new homes’
The ‘long overdue’ fast-tracking of Waraba City has taken a big step forward with the announcement of a Priority Development Area (PDA) last week.
The decision will fast-track development of Moreton Bay’s newest city, formerly Caboolture West, and provide some relief to the growing housing crisis with 30,000 new dwellings including a mix of social and affordable housing.
The Waraba PDA will include almost 3,000 hectares of land and deliver around 30,000 dwellings for an estimated 70,000 people. Once the PDA is declared and an Interim Land Use Plan has been introduced, Economic Development Queensland (EDQ) will develop a PDA development scheme and infrastructure plan.
This will be in consultation with Moreton Bay Council, the community, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Planning, the Department for Transport and Main Roads, and other stakeholders.
PDAs are areas of land within Queensland identified for development to deliver significant benefits to the community, with a proven planning pathway for resolving complex planning and development matters that unlock value for the surrounding communities.
Declaring the Waraba PDA enables the Government to deliver planning that is commercially feasible, sustainably managed and balances economic, social and environmental considerations.
City of Moreton Bay Mayor, Peter Flannery, said the declaration is welcomed, along with the assurance that Council will retain authority for development assessment.
“The Waraba PDA will drive collaboration between all agencies and stakeholders to address critical planning and key infrastructure requirements that City of Moreton Bay has raised as necessary to deliver a well-planned community at Waraba,” he said.
“Given the criticality of the timing and delivery of the key infrastructure to the future success of this PDA, I continue to advocate for the timely delivery of critical infrastructure in conjunction with the declaration of the PDA by the Queensland Government.”
Minister for State Development and Infrastructure, Grace Grace, said the PDA declaration will ensure more Waraba homes are built faster, with the requirement that 25 per cent of all dwellings must be delivered as a mix of affordable and social housing.
Earlier this month Lilywood Landings developer, Linnium Group, announced Waraba’s first blocks of land would be up for sale with prices starting at less than $300,000.
Linnium Group Development Manager, Ian Worthington, called the intention to declare Waraba a PDA “overdue”, but said it was “a positive step”.
“We welcome this move to give Waraba’s contribution to land supply the recognition it deserves, while providing certainty for the development industry and confidence for future investors and home buyers,” he said.
“A PDA should ensure there is a coordinated approach to future planning for all of Waraba.”
Waraba will become Queensland’s 36th PDA, playing a central role in supporting the forecast population growth Moreton Bay City, while also providing opportunities for an estimated 17,000 local jobs in well planned retail, industrial and commercial activity centres.
The State Government has also committed $100 million to the delivery of critical road, water and sewer infrastructure required: some of this funding is already delivering water and sewer infrastructure that is unlocking more than 2,000 lots in the suburb of Lilywood.
The first blocks of land at Lilywood Landings are on track to be completed before the end of 2024.
Lilywood Landings will provide more than 700 homes on completion.
Residents will have access to an expansive 1.74 kilometres of Caboolture River frontage, more than 23 hectares for parks and green open spaces, and everyday services such as a convenience store and childcare centre.
Find out more at lilywoodlandings.com.au
