HIGH density housing is coming to Thagoona with the approval of a 359 lot estate including 300sqm house blocks, townhouses and dual occupancy sites.

Sargeant Planning and owner, TPDP 2 Pty Ltd, lodged plans to develop Stirling Views Estate over a 15 stages on 12ha of former grazing land at 48-70 Pindari Drive and 67-103 Dances Rd.

Under the Thagoona Land Use Concept Master Plan the site is identified as Residential Low Density with a smaller area of Large Lot Residential in the northwestern portion of the site.

The site is also included in the Future Urban Zone under the Planning Scheme following the Walloon Thagoona Planning Study that was undertaken by the Ipswich City Council and which underwent community engagement between 2003 and 2005 before being incorporated into the current Planning Scheme in 2006.

The city’s planners recommended the approval of the development, saying the LUCMP identified an urban growth corridor with an ultimate population of about 42,000 people.

Residents raised concerns about the road network, flooding and stormwater and protecting the environment with the area identified as koala habitat.

Mayor Teresa Harding said parts of Walloon and Thagoona had been slated for urban growth by the State Government for almost two decades.

“In response to the submissions put forward from residents, Council has worked with the developers to ensure the application addresses local concerns and is conditioned appropriately,” Cr Harding said.

“One of the biggest concerns raised by residents was the capacity of the local road network, and as a result, the development will deliver about 1.8km of upgraded roads in the area.

“Currently, we are seeing the devastating effects of the housing crisis all around us. We simply do not have enough housing - housing of different types, sizes and affordability - to accommodate the needs of our growing region.

“It is my hope this development will go some way in bringing more housing options to our city to start addressing this dire need.”

Growth, Infrastructure and Waste Committee Deputy Chairman Paul Tully said parts of the Walloon and Thagoona areas had been planned for urban growth since 2006.

“There was preparation of a planning study between 2003 and 2005 resulting in changes to the Ipswich Planning Scheme in 2006,” Cr Tully said.

“The ultimate plan for this area was included in the Ipswich Planning Scheme as a Land Use Concept Master Plan and the proposed development is consistent with this use.

“The proposed development has been assessed with regard to the applicable assessment benchmarks. The proposed development generally complies with the assessment benchmarks or can be conditioned to comply.”

Division 4 Councillor Kate Kunzelmann said she believed the development could be approved with the conditions imposed on it.

“These decisions remain difficult. We have recently welcomed the 250,000th resident to Ipswich, and this development will contribute to the need for housing, which is not to deny the commercial interests of the developers,” Cr Kunzelmann said.

“Council has an obligation to meet the need for developable land and to encourage diversity in dwelling types. This development is part of an orderly process to allow development in areas that have been investigated and earmarked for development.”

Cr Kunzelmann said the development would include groundwater quality improvements, through the recreated waterway and the detention system, road improvements, including the work on Girral Rd and improvements to the intersection with Karrabin Rosewood Road in Stage 1 and trees cleared would be replaced over the 10 years of the project.

Other Division 4 Councillor Russell Milligan said ecological auditing would continue throughout the construction period.

“This development is three minutes by car from the railway station and 1.5km from the new development at Karrabin Road,” Cr Milligan said.

“Collectively with other developments in this area, there are proposals for further residential development as well as the development of shops, medical services, and fuel options.

“We accept that council’s vision of a desired future may not be the same as some residents. However, given the conditions being imposed, we believe this is the right path forward and will provide better outcomes for Ipswich.”