Townsville City Council is looking to the future needs of the city and its housing with its new Local Housing Action Plan.
The plan was adopted in late 2024 and outlines actions that Council and partners like the development industry and the State Government can take to support the delivery of housing for Townsville.
The plan is part of Council’s commitment to growing a city of the future, including becoming Northern Australia’s hub for future industries.
Councillor Paul Jacob says working with stakeholders like the development industry and the State Government was essential for the plan to succeed.
“The Local Housing Action Plan will put our city in good stead for the future as we continue to see a surge in our population,” Cr Jacob says.
“All three tiers of government are needed to deliver infrastructure to support housing.
“The Local Housing Action Plan sets out to increase the rate of new housing delivery from around 700 to at least 1,200 new homes each year, to increase the proportion of new housing delivered as infill, and to maintain Townsville’s affordability advantage relative to capital city housing markets.”
Townsville’s City Activation and Housing Incentive Policy’s Component One supports infill housing development including new housing construction, conversion of existing non-residential floorspace to housing and new lot creation.
Cr Jacob says the incentive included waivers of infrastructure charges between $75,000 and $250,000.
“This incentive is really focused on supporting new housing delivery in existing urban areas, generating investment, increasing housing diversity, supporting community activities and creating employment opportunities for locals,” he says.
The Local Housing Action Plan also proposes changes to planning regulation to better support small lot and townhouse-style development in both existing and new urban areas.
“Infill development will allow us to maximise the use of vacant and under-utilised parcels of land across our city. This will consolidate our city, boost local businesses, allow more people to live close to work and existing services, and increase the walkability of neighbourhoods,” Cr Jacob says.
“This is all especially important as we continue to work to build up the city not just for the residents we have now, but for our growing population that is projected to continue increasing over the coming years.”