Ipswich on board for State's Growth Areas Delivery Team
05 March 2021
As Queensland’s fastest-growing city, Ipswich City Council welcomes Deputy Premier Steven Miles’ announcement that the State Government will establish a Growth Areas Delivery Team, with the initial focus on South East Queensland.
Mayor Teresa Harding said Ipswich is playing a pivotal role in accommodating the population boom.
"Our population is set to more than double from the current 238,000 to 558,000 by 2041,and significant growth in new homes and residents is occurring in suburbs such as Springfield, Redbank Plains, Deebing Heights, Ripley and Yamanto," she said.
"Major transport infrastructure is an ongoing challenge for our growing suburbs – some areas have almost no access to public transport and other essential services.
"The announcement last Friday by Infrastructure Australia to include the Ipswich to Springfield public transport corridor on the 2021 national priority list demonstrates the significance of the growth opportunities and constraints that face our city. Around 70 per cent of Ipswich’s population growth to 2041 is set to occur in the corridor between Ipswich Central and Springfield Central."
Mayor Harding said housing affordability and livability are pertinent issues.
"Ipswich City Council is fortunate to currently have a vast supply of land suitable for development, as well as numerous areas identified for medium density infill development. The challenge will be to ensure that these areas remain affordable and highly liveable as our city grows," she said.
"This morning (Wednesday) I participated on a Ministers and Mayors panel at the UDIA SEQ Growth Forum in Brisbane, where I took the opportunity to highlight the major role Ipswich plays in unlocking state productivity through our growth.
"I look forward to further discussions between Ministers and Mayors to jointly address the challenges presented by our unprecedented growth and working collaboratively to support the future demand for housing and infrastructure development.
"This new planning team announced today by Mr Miles must ensure new developments can manage the surge in new residents across the entire southeast corner.
"He also announced the team’s first task will be to identify a pilot site for a new growth area. Ipswich will be a strategic choice for this pilot initiative and council looks forward to collaborating with the Growth Areas Delivery Team and for prompt action to occur."