24 February, 2022
TRC assertion of enough land rejected
The pace of land sales in the Toowoomba Region is far outstripping the rate of supply and urgent Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) action is required to free up more land according to land specialist Brad Lipp.
Known as “The Land Man” with Colliers Toowoomba, Mr Lipp says official land sales figures covering the years 2016 to 2021 demonstrate that land for housing is being taken up faster than it is being created.
He is calling on TRC to immediately lift the release of land by increasing the Priority Infrastructure Area (P.I.A.).
“Given the current abundance of infrastructure and industrial development in the Toowoomba area, much more land must be released as a matter of urgency for residential development,” Mr Lipp said.
“We are already seeing supply and demand issues of land due to Council’s restrictive land allocation stance and the big losers in this situation are the hard working families who are looking to get ahead or even get a start, such as first home buyers.”
Mr Lipp said the influx of owner-occupier southern state buyers will only deepen the need for more land to be made available for Australian families.
Official land sales figures provided by Mr Lipp indicate that fluctuations occur as they years go by, however the number of lots sold far outstripped the new lots approved by Council.
In 2016/17 TRC approved 384 new lots however 1,080 lots were sold.
This disparity between land approvals and land sold ratio has skyrocketed in recent years as a result of Government First Home Owners’ Grants.
An example of the demand for land is Karara Gardens Estate at Wyreema.
All three stages of the project have been completed with all 115 blocks of land sold.
Mr Lipp believes an increase in the supply of land will greatly benefit Toowoomba Region families and Council alike.
“Having access of affordable land has wide ranging security benefits for residents as they move through the various stages of life in the Toowoomba Region,” he said.
“I would have thought this is what Council would desire in being able to nurture a bigger Toowoomba with more ratepayers.
“It’s a simple fact - we need Council to free up more land in the Toowoomba Region as the current rate of supply is counterproductive to requirements.”
