WITH civil contractor Shadforth appointed to deliver the project, Cedar Woods has officially commenced construction on its $105 million South East Queensland residential community, Sage.
Spanning 29-hectares and located on Burpengary’s Hunt Road, around 39km out from the Brisbane CBD, Sage will see 329 lots delivered to the rapidly expanding Moreton Bay region.
“Demand for Sage has already been strong with $9 million in sales achieved ahead of the start of construction,” said Michelle Wooldridge, Queensland state manager at Cedar Woods.
“This new community is set to help address ongoing issues of limited supply and high demand for new land in the South-East and, in particular, this fast-growing region.”
The new community will be developed over the coming five years, before eventually becoming home to around 800 residents. With the 49-lot strong first stage of land already sold 55%.
“We handpicked the site in Burpengary due to its growth potential and the convenience it offers residents, with accessibility to both Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, as well as regional centres and employment hubs like Caboolture and Maroochydore,” added Wooldridge.
The ground-breaking ceremony was attended by Wooldridge and Peter Flannery, mayor for Moreton Bay Regional Council.
According to Flannery, Moreton Bay’s population is anticipated to increase by nearly 50% by 2040, surpassing 700,000 residents.
“More importantly than the 329 new homesites Sage will add to our region, the community will offer a diversity of housing choice that specifically appeals to first home buyers and families,” added Flannery.
“But the most exciting thing about this project in my opinion is the commitment to constructing a community that’s centred around lifestyle and environmental values.”
Over the second quarter, the SEQ land market saw a 9.1% boost to prices, with price increases reaching 30.6% in the 12 months to the end of June 2022 and the average land price surpassing $300,000 for the first time.
Wooldridge also added that Sage has been designed with a focus on preserving and enhancing the environment that was formerly 14 residential properties, a nursery and a hobby farm, into a “vibrant neighbourhood surrounded by greenery.”
Of the 29-hectares of land, more than 30% will be reserved for a retained and rehabilitated environmental corridor, connecting to a broader 300-hectares of conservation land to the south.
The green open space will include a seven-hectare environmental corridor through the site’s centre, which will be handed to the Moreton Bay Regional Council as public space, upon its completion.
“We will be undertaking an extensive replanting and rehabilitation program to establish the environmental corridor, including providing more than 200 nesting boxes to encourage wildlife movement,” added Wooldridge.
“Our 8,100sqm recreation park will be designed around preserving established trees, so the community harmonises with the environment.”
Cedar Woods will, upon completion, have invested more than $1 million in environmental outcomes as part of the development.
“This is exactly what [the] Council wanted to see when we said we will ‘Go Green As We Grow’. This development demonstrates that it’s entirely possible to construct new homes for people and at the same time create homes for our local wildlife,” said Flannery.
“Well designed communities like this are key to getting the balance right between catering for population growth and protecting our lifestyle and environment, especially if we are to protect 75 per cent of Moreton Bay’s landmass as greenspace, as I announced at the inaugural ‘State of the Region’ earlier this month.”
Sage is also set to deliver $4 million infrastructure improvements, with 75% of external works targeting completion ahead of the first residents moving in.
Such works will include significant upgrades to Hunt Road, for improved efficiency and safety, in addition to a widened verge and four metre native vegetation buffer alongside the new community.
The first homesites available at Sage range from 303sqm to 642sqm and are priced from $299,000.
With Sage’s first stage of land is anticipated for a mid-2023 completion.
