Ipswich City’s population is growing by more than 8000 people a year.
Council has just released two reports, Planning and Development Quarterly Activity Report for October-December 2017, and the Planning and Development Annual Report Card 2017.
Both confirm booming numbers in Ipswich.
Population had grown to 208,490 as of 31 December – up from 200,012 a year ago.
Planning, Development and Heritage Committee Chairperson Cr David Morrison said that represents an annual growth rate of 4.24 per cent. It was the highest growth rate in the state and in the top 10 cities in Australia (according to latest ABS data).
Cr Morrison said the population growth “hot spots” were Springfield Lakes, Redbank Plains, South Ripley, Ripley and Collingwood Park.
“The December 2017 quarter saw an increase of 854 dwellings (equivalent to an annual growth rate of 4.53 per cent). The number of dwellings represents an increase of 3226 dwellings over a total of 72,956 dwellings at 31 December 2016,” he said.
“During the December 2017 quarter, council also approved 665 new residential lots.”
The “hot spots” for new lots created were Spring Mountain, Ripley, Redbank, Deebing Heights and Walloon. There were 363 development applications lodged in the quarter – a 33 per cent increase over the five-year period since 2012. For the year, there were 1532 development applications lodged.
The annual report card showed council delivered 38.2km of new roads, 52.7km of footpaths and bikeways, 42.9ha of parks and new parkland, and 11.6ha of community land. There were almost 1000 jobs created in non-residential building activity in 2017.
Cr Morrison said there were no signs of growth slowing in Ipswich in 2018: “These figures show the city is still growing at a rate that most local government areas would be extremely envious of,” he said.
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