News
31 January, 2025
New developments coming to Lowood
Lowood is set to have over 350 new residential lots, as Somerset Council has approved a new housing estate, allowing for 358 individual lots in the currently vacant 42-hectare site on Forest Hill Fernvale Road, Lowood.
Somerset Mayor Jason Wendt said the development provided a variety of lot sizes and had the potential to create future development opportunities.
“The lots range from 450sqm to 850sqm with a small number of larger lots, including 16 dual occupancy lots,” Cr Wendt said.
“The layout also provides direct access to Forest Hill-Fernvale Road, a road connection to Williams Street and a pedestrian connection to Bray Street Park. This development is a logical extension of the existing residential land in Lowood, with easy access to facilities and our region’s road network.”
Cr Wendt said this development was specifically designed for land that would otherwise be unusable.
“Councils like ours are under pressure to step up in the housing crisis, and developments like this are exactly what we need, because they enable families a variety of choices to try to get into the housing market,” Cr Wendt said.
“Whether they’re looking for a tree change or more affordable housing, more people are choosing to move to regional areas. We have tried to balance providing affordable housing options while maintaining a significant greenspace within the development to maintain our rural amenity.”
“We need to be able to accommodate the families looking to move to Somerset, and developments like this tick all the right boxes for Council and our growing community.”
Council has also approved a development application for a new reservoir at Vorpagel Road in Lowood. The Urban Utilities site has a three-megalitre reservoir with water supplied by Seqwater’s Lowood Water Treatment Plant, which in turn supplies water to the Lockyer Valley.
Somerset Mayor Jason Wendt said Urban Utilities identified the need for an additional reservoir.
“Under the current configuration, it is not possible to shut down the existing reservoir and carry out critical maintenance and repairs, which can take between three and six months,” Cr Wendt said.
“The additional reservoir will have a capacity of 2.6ML and will enable this remedial work to occur while ensuring ongoing water supply to our neighbouring region.”
The new reservoir will be constructed partially within the road reserve, making it necessary to permanently close the existing road within the development site.
