Regional Queensland Population Growth Spurs Housing Demand

Housing demand in regional centres across Queensland is expected to flow from The Queensland Plan’s call to double the regional population.

A key target of the 30-year vision document is for the doubling of the population outside Southeast Queensland by 2044.

Latitude Development Group (LDG) is developing two major master-planned communities at Airlie Beach and Gladstone and is poised to meet growing housing demand as it rolls out close to 3,000 home sites between the two projects.

LDG CEO Chris Thompson said the State Government’s subsequent commitment to building regional communities would make these areas more attractive to live in but would also put pressure on housing.

“What we are delivering in these locations will meet the needs of regional Queensland’s growing population by improving the liveability and lifestyle amenity.”

Premier Campbell Newman said the Queensland and Federal Governments could support such population growth by building up regional communities in health and infrastructure, and making them attractive to people.

Mr Newman said encouraging more immigrants to the regions, shifting some government agencies and boosting Defence Force units in the state would help.

Mr Thompson said the growth predicted in the Whitsundays region had given LDG the confidence to roll out its 2,500-lot Regatta Waters master-planned community near Airlie Beach.

“We are in the early stages of this community, but its large scale and array of facilities gives us the means to both attract and cater for significant population growth,” he said.

In addition to its range of medium density housing, Regatta Waters Whitsundays will provide retail, aged care, recreational and lifestyle facilities including an 18-hole golf course.

Mr Thompson said the community’s recreational and retail amenity would be open to the general public and therefore also be an asset to the wider region.

He said LDG’s 320-lot Brookview Estate at Gladstone would also meet rising housing demand as the regional population target encouraged developers to embark on new residential and commercial projects.

The 36-hectare site will be built around a $2 million recreational centerpiece and landscaped parkland.

“The State Government’s commitment to grow regional areas across Queensland will provide confidence to developers to move ahead in these areas knowing there will be infrastructure to back them up,” he said.

“Admittedly many regions have been propped up by resources investment activity in the past few years, but as some mining activity subsides, cities in regional Queensland will continue to be sought after places to live.”