Growing with the flow: Coast building confidence soars

Despite challenges for the building industry, such as high construction costs and interest rate uncertainty, latest figures show growing confidence in the Sunshine Coast region.

Sunshine Coast Council’s latest 2023-24 Development Indicator Report shows that the value of construction building approvals hit $2.3 billion, a record high for the region and up $100 million from 2022-23.

Mayor Rosanna Natoli said these figures reflected the strong development industry appetite to continue with small scale development in the region.

Small scale developments may range 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.

“The Sunshine Coast is one of the fastest growing Local Government Areas in South East Queensland.

“Population growth will continue to place significant pressure on housing and it is a challenge we continue to tackle.”

Another important aspect for bolstering future housing availability, is the creation of new lots.

A total of 1,600 new lots were created over the previous financial year and were made available to the market through Council and State Government approval processes - up 14 per cent compared to 2022-23.

Development stats at a glance:

• High growth development suburbs are Baringa/Nirimba/Banya with $329m in approvals; Maroochydore (including City Centre) $183m; Pelican Waters $177m; Palmview $130m; and Buderim $119m).
• Emerging growth areas are Bokarina, Coolum Beach, Forest Glen, Caloundra and Bli Bli.
• 5,754 applications were lodged for Council assessment.
• This included 336 Material Change of Use applications, 517 Operational Work, 112 Reconfiguring a Lot, 478 Change applications, 3,196 Plumbing and Drainage Work applications and 1,115 Building Work and Concurrence Agency Referrals.
• A total of 782 lots were approved and 1,600 new lots were created and made available to the market through Council and State Government approval processes.

Increasing demand for development advice

Mayor Natoli said that Sunshine Coast Council had a strong legacy of planning for projected future population growth positively, hand-in-hand with our community.

“We are continuing to see 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.”

New services include a ‘Chat to a development Information Officer’ session. This free 20-minute session, booked online, will provide general development information – whether you are looking to buy or about to start a building project.

Mayor Natoli said that 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,” Mayor Natoli said.

“We can help you clarify process and timeframes, advise of the relevant legislative and planning scheme requirements, and identify any specific technical issues.”

In 2023-24, 438,866 Development.i sessions were provided, along with 326,000 site reports, and 202 advice services.

2023-24 Development Indicator report

The Development Indicator reports are an important tool for measuring and comparing development activity on the Sunshine Coast.

Information on development-related enquiries including land uses, development activity, subdivisions, application lodgements and planning scheme queries can be found on Council’s website by searching ‘development’.

Latest population stats

• More than 518,000 people are forecast to the Sunshine Coast home by 2041. The population has grown by more than 79,000 people between 2011 and 2021.