Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) has finalised its submission to the Queensland State Government on the draft ShapingSEQ 2023 Update, with housing diversity and the need for infrastructure key to the submission.

TRC provided its submission to the State following broad discussion at a recent Special Meeting of Council.

TRC Planning and Development Portfolio Chair Cr Megan O’Hara Sullivan said Council’s focus in its submission was on providing attached housing in a way which reflected Toowoomba’s unique character while also providing adequate public transport infrastructure to meet the needs of future growth.

“While TRC agrees in principle with many of the policy directions in the ShapingSEQ 2023 Update, there remains a lack of detail regarding some aspects, particularly around the growth assumptions, the implementation, and the delivery of affordable and social housing,” Cr O’Hara Sullivan said.

“In particular, TRC is concerned with the growth targets and the lack of current public transport in Toowoomba.

“It’s something we have asked the State to consider heavily in our submission.

“There is also a need for the State to acknowledge the significant costs that local governments bear in the provision of the physical and social infrastructure required to facilitate the State’s growth targets, and to take the proactive steps needed to address this issue.”

TRC Planning and Development Portfolio Lead Cr Bill Cahill said Toowoomba had unique needs and attributes including the need to preserve the City’s garden character and areas of heritage.

“Council agrees in principle with providing improved housing diversity and increased residential densities.

“However, the approach to providing increased attached housing needs to reflect Toowoomba’s unique needs and attributes; our garden city character; and areas of heritage and character architecture,” Cr Cahill said.

ShapingSEQ 2023 identifies the following dwelling and population projections for the Toowoomba Urban Extent, which includes Westbrook, Wyreema and Cambooya.

• a total of 89,400 dwellings by 2046 (from 62,096 in 2021) – an additional 27,304 dwellings over 23 years; and
• a total population of 221,971 people by 2046 (from 145,338 in 2021) – an additional 76,633 people over 23 years.

There is also a diversity target of 37 per cent for attached housing (products like terrace housing, multi-storey units, and townhouses) by 2046. The current amount is 26 per cent.

The target for social housing, which includes public and community housing, is 20 per cent of all new dwellings.

The target for affordable housing (households on low to moderate incomes) is also 20 per cent of all new dwellings.

This article appeared in On Our Selection News, 26 October 2023.