Townsville has recorded a 190 percent increase in residential lots released for construction in 2020, in a building boom bolstering the city's post-pandemic economy.
Townsville City Council's Planning and Development Committee chairperson Mark Molachino said the high demand for residential lots showed that the city was back on track after the impacts of the 2019 monsoon and COVID-19 pandemic.
"This report demonstrates that the Townsville economy and our community has coped rather well despite the lingering impacts of COVID-19 and the 2019 floods," Cr Molachino said.
"The Federal and State Government home building grants have been a major driver of the increase in residential applications and we've seen a 190 percent increase in lots released across the city.
"We've also had significant increases in applications related to residential development, including ancillary applications, dwelling approvals and renovations, and plumbing permits."
Cr Molachino said Council had also implemented measures at the beginning of the pandemic to help bolster the city's economy.
"It has been encouraging to see development continue across Townsville despite other parts of the country locking down, and Council worked hard to give our economy a fighting chance," he said.
"This included introducing reductions to infrastructure charges for qualifying developments to bring construction forward to create additional jobs and introducing a first home buyers' incentive of a $1000 rebate on general rates.
"I'm looking forward to seeing this momentum build across the city and to see the long-term benefits of increased development flow into our local economy."
