The Ipswich population is closing in on another significant milestone with surging growth across the city.
More than 1,800 additional people now call Ipswich home in 2019, taking the total population to 219,890.
That represents an equivalent annual growth rate of 3.34 per cent and an annual change from the same period last year of 4.61 per cent.
The January-March quarter equivalent annual growth figure is down on the previous October-December quarter, which enjoyed an equivalent annual growth rate of 4.98 per cent.
Ipswich had previously topped the 210,000 mark in the January-March 2018 quarter.
Ipswich City Council’s population growth statistics have consistently seen Ipswich ranked as one of the fastest growing cities in Queensland and in the top 10 nationwide.
In the past year, almost 10,000 people have moved to Ipswich. The five-year snapshot reveals average annual growth of 3.90 per cent.
At 31 March 2019, there were 80,951 dwellings within Ipswich City as compared with 80,255 dwellings at 31 December 2018. This represents an increase of 696 dwellings and an equivalent annual growth rate of 3.47 per cent. This represents an annual change from the same quarter last year of 4,144 dwellings and 5.40 per cent and a five year average annual growth rate of 4.29 per cent.
The population growth hotspots are Spring Mountain, Redbank Plains, South Ripley, Ripley and Redbank (replacing Bellbird Park).
The building boom also continues unabated, as Ipswich continues to be the envy of local government areas across Queensland.
The Planning and Development Quarterly Report 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.
Highlights of the first quarter 2019:
New residents
New dwellings added
Development applications lodged
New residential lots approved
New residential lots created
Spring Mountain was the fastest growing suburb with 517 new residents (almost four times the next highest suburb) and 176 new dwellings, and the highest number of new lots created (349).
The other hot spots for new lots created included Ripley, Karalee, Collingwood Park and Deebing Heights.
The Ipswich population is expected to top 500,000 by 2041.
Council approved almost 85,000sq/m of new non-residential floor space across the retail, industrial, commercial or other (which includes education).
Based on assumptions applying an average non-residential floor space to jobs conversion factor, the approved non-residential floor space could accommodate about 1,000 new employees across all sectors, with the most new jobs created in this quarter in the industrial sector.
Almost $200 million worth of building works was approved during the January-March quarter.