New town centre becomes a reality
March 17, 2015
The turning of the sod this week at Habitat Development Group’s Central apartments in Sippy Downs on the Sunshine Coast marks an important milestone in the construction of one of Australia’s most anticipated master-planned town centres after years of planning by the local council and national developers.
The Sippy Downs Town Centre has attracted the likes of Coles, Woolworths, a super GP clinic, a childcare centre, speciality retail and commercial space and a number of residential developers who will help address the urgent need for housing on the Sunshine Coast which is still experiencing a rental vacancy rate of only one per cent.
Habitat Development Group Managing Director Cleighton Clark said the development of a master-planned precinct in one of Australia’s fastest growing regions was certainly an attractive proposition for developers.
“With the Sunshine Coast population set to grow by around 50 per cent to over half a million people in the next 15-20 years the pressure on housing availability is not about to slow down,” Mr Clark said.
“If that housing is walking distance from an expanding university campus and the surrounding education precinct, the entrepreneurial hub of the Innovation Centre, medical and childcare services and a significant retail complex, it’s not hard to see why sales have been well above expectation.”
Over 85 per cent of the Central apartments have sold over the past two months, which is the fastest sales rate the group has seen since before the global financial crisis.
Sunshine Coast Council Division 6 Councillor Christian Dickson said the vision for the Sippy Downs Town Centre was to create a vibrant and active town centre where residents could learn, earn, live and play.
“Long-term planning has made it possible for us to create a ‘brains district’ and ‘university town’ in Sippy Downs which meets the needs of our growing region,” Cr Dickson said.
“The recent $4 million road upgrade to Sippy Downs Drive improves access to the precinct and as our vision for the Sippy Downs Town Centre becomes a reality, we expect to see an additional 170 full-time retail job opportunities created.”
As construction commences at Central, the Habitat Development Group also celebrated the recent completion of their other development in the area, Atrium which was sold out and had zero vacancies in the 305 apartments by the time it was finished.
“The response to Atrium made it clear that both owner-occupiers and investors were looking for affordable, practical accommodation close to amenities and educational institutions,” Mr Clark said.
“Lack of affordable accommodation on the Sunshine Coast has long been an issue and there is a real demand for well-located apartments at entry level price points.”
Stage One of Central will comprise of a mixture of 78 two and three-bedroom apartments over six levels with all apartments including two bathrooms. Sizes range from 100sqm – 120sqm including balcony or terrace space, a basement carpark and access to high speed internet as well as a pool and gym on the neighbouring property.
Central was designed by leading Sunshine Coast architects OGE Group and is a $31 million project with apartments in Stage One being priced between $345,000 and $415,900. Construction is expected to be complete in December 2015.
For further information please visit www.habdev.com.
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Media contact: Maya Gurry, Fresh PR & Marketing P: 0410 109 102 E: maya@freshprm.com.au
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