The population of Ipswich has cracked the 218,000 mark.
Council’s Planning and Development Annual Report Card confirms the city’s continuing high population growth rate – an equivalent annual rate of 4.98 per cent.
The city topped 215,391 people after the July-September 2018 quarter. Since then, an extra 2,680 people now call Ipswich home, increasing our population to 218, 071.
Ipswich had previously topped the 210,000 mark in the January-March 2018 quarter.
ABS figures have consistently seen Ipswich ranked as one of the fastest growing cities in Queensland and in the top 10 nationwide.
The population hotspots are Spring Mountain, Redbank Plains, South Ripley, Ripley and Bellbird Park.
The building boom also continues unabated, as Ipswich continues to be the envy of local government areas across Queensland.
The number of new dwellings in Ipswich represents 5.35 per cent growth and a five-year average annual growth rate of 4.20 per cent.
Anthony Morgan and Graham Schnaars, and cocker spaniel Thomas, recently moved into Spring Mountain.
The P&D Annual Report Card focuses on overall development activity within Ipswich, specifically population and dwelling growth, land subdivision and non-residential building activity.
It also looks at the number of applications for planning, engineering, building and plumbing; infrastructure delivery by the development industry; and activity generated through council’s planning and development website.
The highlights of 2018 included:
- 9,581 new residents
- 4,073 new dwellings (making 80,255 in total at 31 December, 2018)
- 1,587 development applications lodged
- 2,705 lots approved
- 1,900 lots created
Spring Mountain was the fastest growing suburb with 1,977 new residents and 673 new dwellings; the highest number of new lots created (382) and the highest number approved (983).
New residents Anthony Morgan and Graham Schnaars, and cocker spaniel Thomas, recently moved into their Springfield Rise home at Spring Mountain – the first in their street. Springfield Rise is Lendlease’s newest community in the western corridor.
“We really love the area,” Graham said, adding the building process was relatively easy.
“The stressful part was choosing the fittings, fixtures and colours.”
Redbank Plains (1,324 people and 513 new dwellings), South Ripley (913 people and 295 new dwellings), Ripley (623 people and 211 new dwellings) and Bellbird Park (321 people and 119 new dwellings) made up the top five.
News.com.au via its real estate online section this month spoke to some of the industry’s top heavyweights and they shared their picks for first home buyers and families and Ipswich was high on the list.
“The Ipswich region is my pick of the regions for first home buyers in all of southeast Queensland as it’s a big city where you can buy big classic Queenslanders and new homes under $500,000. It has great schools and a good lifestyle, plus it’s an easy commute to the Brisbane CBD too,” said Ray White Queensland’s Tony Warland.
The same website also identified Ipswich as the place savvy investors are snapping up entire family homes for around $250,000. It said Ipswich was “booming”.
New and existing Ipswich residents received a boost this week in the form of a Federal Government City Deal plan that would focus on providing infrastructure, growing employment and maintaining liveability in the region. It also promised better transport networks.
Ipswich’s Interim Administrator Greg Chemello said a future City Deal had plenty of upside for ratepayers and residents.
“Key infrastructure includes provision for an Ipswich-Springfield-Ripley rail line, and faster rail from Ipswich to Brisbane. Imagine an express service which takes people from Ipswich Central to the Brisbane CBD in 18 minutes,” he said.
“Another major advantage is a prospective SEQ Trade and Enterprise Spine between Toowoomba and the Brisbane port, which will provide huge benefits for Ipswich industrial areas, and indeed our rapidly growing and changing logistics sector.”
The Ipswich population is expected to top 500,000 by 2041.
The annual report card also revealed major infrastructure delivery across Ipswich, including 25km of new roads, 75km of footpaths and bikeways, 10 hectares of new parkland, and 20 hectares of community land.
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