A fund to get more homes out of the ground faster by covering infrastructure costs in Queensland has ratcheted up. The State Government has revealed that 85 funding deals with councils for the $350-million Incentivising Infill Development Fund have been signed off under the first tranche of the fund. In total, 164 projects have been conditionally approved for funding across six tranches, adding more than $200 million towards speeding up the development process. Under the fund, the state covers infrastructure charges and development application fees for approved projects, The number of potential homes to be supported by the fund has also increased dramatically, according to the state , up from initial estimates of 3790 to 9808 new homes, as well as 989 potential new lots. So far  under the scheme 14 Queensland councils have entered into funding deals with the state. Queensland deputy director-general and state planner Peta Harwood said the fund was addressing a “timely alignment of infrastructure with new homes”. “Commerciality is challenging at the moment and by providing targeted support in the form of known infrastructure costs, the fund directly removes the delivery costs of new homes and residential lots for landowners and development companies, meaning they are less likely to pass on those costs to the new homeowners,” Harwood said. ▲ Yeppon in Central Queensland: The Livingstone council is among those to take up deals under the scheme. “Councils, the industry and future homeowners all benefit from this fund.” Harwood said the direct funding for the costs for essential initial utilities needed before housing—such as water systems, parks or transport networks that need to be built—was accelerating the delivery of housing supply options for Queenslanders. UDIA Queensland chief executive Kirsty Chessher-Brown said the fund was creating “meaningful support”. The state said the fund aligned with other initiatives to deliver on its  commitment for one million new homes by 2044 across the state. “Initiatives such as unlocking church and charity-owned land for community housing will allow for affordable options for Queenslanders, while the State Facilitated Development (SFD) pathway is also fast-tracking developments incorporating affordable housing,” it said.
