BOHLE LAND FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING: WALLACE

The Bligh Government is planning for Townsville’s long-term housing needs by offering 270 hectares of land at Bohle - aimed squarely at the affordable housing market, Natural Resources and Water Minister Craig Wallace said today.

Mr Wallace said the government was looking to make the 270 hectares as affordable as possible to help struggling homebuyers.

“We cannot control interest rates, but we can play a part with land supply. The Premier has asked me to look at this issue and make land available.

“The 270 ha is one of the last major parcels of land close to the City CBD.”

“I have asked my Department to look at ways to get the land to market at as cheap a price as possible. I'm hopeful it could be by year's end.

“Both the Premier and I want to get the estimated 3000 housing blocks at Bohle to local people at the lowest possible cost,” Mr Wallace said.

“We wants to reduce the pressure on young Townsville families. This can help,” he said.

“The Bligh Government does not control building costs or council costs but we have a role with land supply.

“We don’t want rich southern investors to buy up all this land and put prices through the roof.

“We are trying to give local people a hand.”

“We have a very large amount of land at Bohle - and low-cost strategies developed for the first 270 ha could apply to all subsequent Bohle land releases,” he said.

The 270 ha is the old Bohle Abattoir site, near the Bohle River.

“I know just how hard it was for my wife and I to get into the housing market 10 years ago,” Mr Wallace said.

“Many people in Thuringowa and Townsville tell me that they are worried about their kids putting a roof over their heads.

“We need to look to the future and make sure we have affordable land for young families in our region.

“That’s why I have been talking to the Premier about this land and the need for it to be affordable as possible.

Mr Wallace said a number of major development companies had approached him about developing the Bohle land.

“I have told them that planning for more affordable housing will be a major factor in any decision,” he said.

Media inquiries: Paul Childs, Craig Wallace’s office, on 0407 131 654.