Gold Coast's Kickstart generates $885 million in projects, could fuel residential demand
An initiative by the City of Gold Coast to stimulate development activity and create jobs has generated about 9,500 jobs and more than $885 million in building projects, potentially generating residential housing demand.
Named Construction Kickstart, a report to the City Planning Committee stated that the initiative has resulted in the commencement of 282 projects, including 55 industrial developments.
Kickstart started on October 1 2012, and concluded on September 30 this year.
Of the 55 eligible industrial developments, 38 are still underway and 17 have been completed.
President of the Urban Development Institute of Australia Gold Coast Logan Branch, David Ransom, said the Kickstart initiative had been a very worthwhile exercise which proved the City of Gold Coast had an ‘open for business’ attitude.
“There is a strong linkage between the level of infrastructure charges and the economic viability of projects,” said Mr Ransom.
“Employment generating projects such as industrial and retail will provide a triple benefit to the city by creating construction employment and ongoing operational employment, as well as fuelling residential housing demand.”
It is estimated 2,000 ongoing jobs will result from these projects and other non-residential projects that have commenced.
Non-residential land uses that qualified for Kickstart include a child care centre, sports facility, fast food outlet, service station, place of worship, indoor recreation, as well as retail facilities.
The City of Gold Coast’s Division 3 is home to the highest number of Kickstart projects, with 52 commencing, the majority of these being residential developments.
Division 1 and Division 4 ranked second and third in terms of Kickstart developments, with 48 and 31 eligible projects respectively.
Mayor Tom Tate said the figures showed Construction Kickstart had been an overwhelming success.
“This initiative was always about creating jobs and encouraging development activity and it’s certainly done that. When we launched the project, we estimated 4,000 jobs would be created so to reach an estimate of 9,500 is fantastic,” he said.
Phase One of Kickstart offered 100% discount on transport, recreation facilities and stormwater infrastructure charges, while Phast Two offered a 50% discount on the same charges.
Projects that have benefitted from Kickstart include a 41-storey residential tower in Surfers Paradise, a large warehouse and industrial facility, and apartment complexes.
