Townsville Council Unveils Incentives to Revamp Heritage Buildings and Boost Jobs

In a bid to revitalize the city, Townsville City Council has introduced a new policy offering incentives to transform heritage buildings, revamp building facades, and create jobs. The 2025/26 City Activation and Housing Incentive Policy aims to make Townsville a "future-ready city" by providing developers with various benefits to develop the city centre. The council hopes to revive vacant heritage buildings, improve building facades, and stimulate employment-generating development. As Townsville continues to grow at a rate of 2 per cent year-on-year, the council is working to create new business opportunities and jobs for residents and investors.

Key Takeaways:

• The Townsville City Council has introduced the 2025/26 City Activation and Housing Incentive Policy to revitalize the city and create jobs.
• The policy offers incentives to revive heritage buildings, improve building facades, and stimulate employment-generating development in the city centre.
• Up to $275,000 in infrastructure charges will be waived for developers who build new homes, convert old commercial spaces into housing, or create new residential lots in the Infill Priority Housing Area.
• Up to $90,000 in infrastructure charges will be waived for the "Mum and Dad" homeowners who want to subdivide existing land to create a new lot for future housing in the Infill Housing Priority Area.
• Infrastructure charges will also be waived for developments creating up to five full-time jobs and worth more than $500,000 in the city centre, or $1 million elsewhere in the local government area.
• The council will offer general rates waivers for the adaptive reuse of heritage buildings in the Townsville City centre.
• Up to $50,000 will be provided to support the beautification of building facades in the city centre.

Statistics:

• Townsville is expected to continue growing at a rate of 2 per cent year-on-year.
• The council aims to create new jobs and business opportunities for residents and investors.
• Up to $275,000 in infrastructure charges will be waived for developers who meet the policy requirements.
• Up to $90,000 in infrastructure charges will be waived for homeowners who subdivide existing land to create a new lot for future housing.
• The new policy is a Queensland-first, offering a level of development incentives via cash grants, rate freezes, and infrastructure charges waivers.

Sources:

• Council spokesperson, Ann-Maree Greaney.
• Townsville City Council.