Council to Auction Surplus Land with Attractive Incentives to Boost Housing Development

Goondiwindi Regional Council continues to actively address the housing shortage in our region. At the upcoming Council meeting, councillors will confirm their commitment to auctioning residential Council-owned freehold land surplus to needs and introducing additional incentives. This strategic move aims to encourage development and growth in Inglewood and Goondiwindi and assist in addressing local housing needs.

We are offering an incentive designed to stimulate development and prevent private sector landlocking as part of the sale of these lots. These incentives are part of our commitment to addressing the housing shortage and will make these lots a lucrative opportunity for potential buyers. Incentives for these lots include:

• For a sale price of $100,000 or over (excluding any government fees and charges), the purchaser will receive a $10,000 Council rebate, which can be claimed within two years of the purchase date upon obtaining a Final Building Inspection Certificate for a residential dwelling on the site.
• Under the same conditions, the purchaser will receive a $5,000 Council rebate for a sale price under $100,000 (excluding any government fees and charges).

The Real Estate Institute of Queensland has again listed the Goondiwindi region as the tightest rental market from January to March 2024, with rental availability at 0%.

Mayor The Honourable Cr Lawrence Springborg AM emphasised, "The availability and affordability of housing is a significant issue facing our community. These incentives aim to stimulate immediate housing development, which leads to increasing the availability of accommodation for locals and attracting essential workers to our region."

As part of this initiative, the Council will appoint a real estate agent to auction a freehold property in Regent Street, Inglewood, subdivided into two lots of approximately 1000m² each. Several freehold Council-owned properties at the Goondiwindi Water Park will also be auctioned.

"Council has minimal surplus freehold land, but we are releasing what we have back to the market to stimulate development and growth. Disposal of these assets is regulated, and we will appoint a local real estate agent to conduct the auctions to ensure maximum benefit to the ratepayer and achieve market value," added Mayor Springborg.

Council's Local Housing Action Plan, adopted in January 2024, outlines our commitment to addressing local housing challenges. This plan, which includes key actions and strategies, was developed with community feedback. The plan also highlights key challenges for the Queensland government to resolve, and we will continue to advocate for solutions to the State, such as rolling out additional government employee housing in the region.

Mayor Springborg concluded, "This incentive compliments the waiving of water connection, plumbing and drainage and building fees earlier this week.  Along with other incentives over the last two years. Council's actions are part of our commitment to supporting residents and the local economy by implementing key initiatives to encourage housing investment. We believe these initiatives will provide more accommodation opportunities for locals and attract essential workers to our region."