Funding sought to fast-track housing

To help unlock up to 2,400 new homes in Mount Peter, Council is seeking Queensland Government support through Round 2 of the Residential Activation Fund (RAF) to deliver the essential infrastructure needed to accelerate housing supply and support sustainable growth in Cairns.

Cairns is forecast to grow by 56,000 people by 2046, making increased housing supply critical to accommodate growth and improve affordability.

As Cairns’ last major greenfield opportunity, Mount Peter is essential to delivering new housing at scale.

Council’s application seeks funding for key enabling works, including a new trunk water main, wastewater line and pump station upgrades, and critical transport intersection improvements.

These works build on Council’s ongoing investment in corridor infrastructure, including the Cairns Water Security Stage 1 project (CWSS1), and align with Council’s Securing Cairns Housing Foundations Plan.

With planning already being fast-tracked by Council and the Queensland Government through the Mount Peter Priority Development Area (PDA), the next step is delivering the infrastructure that must come first, including roads, water, sewerage and community facilities.

These works will remove immediate constraints to unlock new housing and lay the foundations for future stages of development across the corridor.

The application reflects a strong, collaborative partnership between Council, Economic Development Queensland (EDQ), State agencies, developers, industry and key advocacy stakeholders to ensure infrastructure is aligned, sequenced and ready for delivery.

Council also acknowledges and thanks local State and Federal Members, alongside industry and community stakeholders, for their continued advocacy and support in progressing a shared, three-tier government approach to funding the infrastructure needed to deliver more homes, sooner, for Cairns.