The value of building approvals on the Sunshine Coast increased by $100 million in the past year to hit $2.3 billion.
Sunshine Coast Council Mayor Rosanna Natoli said despite challenges for the building industry, such as high construction costs and interest rate uncertainty, the latest figures showed growing confidence in the region.
Mayor Natoli said the 2023-24 Development Indicator Report showed there was a strong appetite for small scale development across the Sunshine Coast.
She said small scale developments ranged from home extensions or the addition of a granny flat, through to townhouse development.
“This is exactly what we want to see, it reflects our region’s future needs,” Mayor Natoli said.
“Population growth will continue to place significant pressure on housing and it is a challenge we continue to tackle.”
Mayor Natoli said the latest report showed 1600 new lots were created over the previous financial year, up 14 percent compared to 2022-23 and there was also strong demand for development advice services.
“Council has been actively working on how we can increase the accessibility and transparency of planning advice to all segments of our community.
“We’ve recently delivered significant enhancements to the range of development advice services so that we can better help our community at all stages of their planning and development journey.”
She said new services includes free 20-minute ‘Chat to a development Information Officer’ sessions, which provided general development information, whether a person was looking to buy or about to start a building project.
Mayor Natoli said by seeking advice in the early stages of a development journey, residents could identify and address any potential issues.
“This contributes to the faster delivery of residential development by improving the quality of applications, and thereby reducing assessment timeframes,” she said.
Read the latest Development Indicator Report.
