Figures show growing confidence in the Sunshine Coast region despite challenges for the building industry.
The Sunshine Coast Council’s latest Development Indicator Report says construction building approvals hit a record high of $2.3 billion last financial year, $100 million more than in 2022-23.
Suburbs of high growth development were Nirimba, Baringa and Banya with $329 million worth of approvals, Maroochydore and its city centre with $183m worth of approvals, Pelican Waters at $177m, Palmview at $130m and Buderim with $119m.
Bokarina with $75m worth of development approvals, Coolum Beach with $71m, Forest Glen with $65m, Caloundra with $55m and Bli Bli with $53m were labelled as emerging growth areas.
There were 5754 applications, of which 3196 were for plumbing and drainage work, 1115 for building work and concurrence agency referrals, 517 for operational works, 478 for changes, 336 for material changes of use, and 112 for reconfigurations of lots.
New lots approved totalled 728 and the number of new lots created and made available to the market through council and state government approval processes was up 14 per cent to 1600.
Mayor Rosanna Natoli said the figures reflected the strong development industry appetite to continue with small-scale development in the region.
Small-scale developments range from home extensions or granny flat additions, through to townhouse developments.
“This is exactly what we want to see, it reflects our region’s future needs,” Cr Natoli said.
She said the Sunshine Coast was one of the fastest-growing local government areas in south-east Queensland.
The Sunshine Coast population grew by 79,000 between 2011 and 2021, and 518,000 people are expected to call the area home by 2041.
“Population growth will continue to place significant pressure on housing and it is a challenge we continue to tackle,” Cr Natoli said.
She said there was strong demand for the council’s development advice services and the council was working on ways to enhance the accessibility and transparency of advice to the community.
New services include “chat to a development information officer”, a free 20-minute session offering advice to people looking to buy or start a building project.
Cr Natoli said residents could identify and address any potential issues by seeking information early.
“This contributes to the faster delivery of residential development by improving the quality of applications, and thereby reducing assessment timeframes,” she said.
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