Housing boost for Townsville

ABOUT 200 new homes are set to pop up as the latest stage of a major Townsville housing project takes its first steps.

Townsville City Council is considering an Economic Development Queensland proposal to develop 296 new lots at The Village precinct in Oonoonba.

The application proposed 200 lots made up of a mix of sizes and housing options from terrace homes on 150sq m lots to traditional houses on 600sq m blocks.

A Department of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning spokeswoman said construction was set to start on Stage 11 later this year. The last homes of the stage were expected to be built by the end of 2024.

Construction on The Village began in 2011 and by its completion the 83ha site will hold more than 1000 homes.

The spokeswoman said a series of active parks and open spaces had been proposed as part of the latest stage, which would create links within the already established areas of the estate.

Buyers can select from a range of housing options or buy land only and choose their own builder.

The proposal comes as another major housing project, a $ 50 million luxury marina project put forward by Maidment Group, continues its public consultation process.

The group plans to build 11 exclusive townhouses on a blue- chip site overlooking the marina within Mariner’s Peninsula.

An eight- storey tower made up of 16 luxury apartments has also been proposed by the group.

In February Realestate. com. au reported Townsville’s rental vacancy rate was tipped to tighten to as low as 3 per cent by the end of the year, buoyed by major job- creating projects.

In August, 2017 Oonoonba topped the list of suburbs to watch in the region, as the median house price jumped 23.4 per cent in just three months.