THG’s Richard Katter prepared a report for the UDIA, The Finance Sector’s Viscosity is Inhibiting the Flow of Property Development, which emphasises the importance of the property sector’s influence on
Queensland’s GDP. Mr Katter said, “This report is especially timely
considering the very recent withdrawal of ALDI from their two proposed
sites at Pimpama and Coomera due to exorbitant infrastructure charges.
In an increasingly marginal development climate we will start to see
more big projects of this nature failing to proceed with the major
cause being infrastructure charges.”
The property market has fundamentally changed over the last year and housing affordability is now not only an issue for those in the lower socio-economic brackets. All Australians, particularly those with interests in the stock market, are feeling the pinch. This article by THG’s Urban Economist, Richard Katter, explains how research is the developers’ best weapon to make sure their stock is still in high demand.
Australia experienced its highest rate
of inflation for 15 years in 2007; predominantly as a result of international
increases in oil and other commodity prices; but also as a result of domestic
growth and demand. Latest figures released by the Reserve Bank of Australia
indicate that after an increase of 1.5 per cent for the June quarter, inflation
has continued on this upward trend to increase to 4.5 per cent for the 2007/08
financial year.
On July 17, the Queensland Government’s Planning Information
& Forecasting Unit (PIFU) presented the findings of the 2008 (sixth
edition) Gold Coast City Broadhectare Study, which essentially involves
measuring the capacity of the future residential land supply to accommodate the
City’s anticipated population growth.
The presentation focussed firstly on population and
demographic projections for the Gold Coast and then on the results of the
Broadhectare Study.
Constructed wetlands for the treatment of stormwater and wastewater form an important part in WaterSensitive Urban Design (WSUD). With careful planning and implementation, a wetland will achieve the desired outcomes for water quality improvement, as well as socio-economic and biodiversity goals.
