Work on new town under way
Employment boost comes to our region
WORK on the region’s newest town development is well under way, with developers expecting a “smorgasbord” of employment to come to the area.
Plainland Crossing at Plainland in the Lockyer Valley is being developed to include a bigger residential area, shopping centres and expansions of existing businesses.
Maddison Ridge project manager Joe Gorman said the employment boost would happen over the next 12 to 18 months.
He said Lockyer Valley Regional Council had given approval to about half of the development area to “employment generating uses” which was about 11ha.
“It guarantees an outcome in the next few years of local jobs being provided to local residents,” he said.
The developers said a smorgasbord of employment was coming to the area with many major projects expected to announce their start dates soon.
“The biggest demand initially will probably be for trades of all types as these projects come out of the ground and then the key personnel to run them on completion,” the Plainland Crossing Facebook page said.
Several businesses set to be included in the development, but yet to confirm start dates, are Bridgestone Tyres which is waiting on road construction to finish, a child-care centre which is waiting on government approvals, Aldi which is in early planning and a town centre.
Mr Gorman said fundamental parts of a true community, including the shopping centre, child care and school, were committed to be built in the area which marked an exciting time in the development.
He added that the location was proving popular, with Plainland central to the Lockyer Valley, Toowoomba and Brisbane.
“The buying profile echoed that. We have had buyers form the west side of the site and east of the site coming to live here with the idea of minimising commute times,” Mr Gorman said.
Also included in the development is a McDonald’s which is under construction and hiring, the expansion of the Schultes Meat Tavern which is waiting on development approval and the expansion of Porters Plainland Hotel which is also waiting on development approval.
The west-bound travel centre and truck stop is in planning stages as is a Catholic secondary college, which would be the second secondary college in Plainland, and an IGA at nearby Hatton Vale is opening in August.
Mr Gorman said they were about to release the next residential stage, which was stage six with 26 new homes, as well as three new display homes, and south stage two of the commercial area.
He added they were about one third of the way through the Plainland Crossing project with works to continue for about four to five more years. Go to plainlandcrossing.com.au.