By ERWIN CHLANDA
“Spec builders” will be able to buy land at the new Kilgariff suburb but only at the rate of one per person, says Chief Minister Adam Giles.
“Lots will sell for $160,000, $170,000 and $180,000 depending on size, orientation and location,” he told the Alice Springs News Online.
“Spec builders are entitled to purchase lots as are any other members of the community however speculative purchase of more than one lot by one entity will not be permitted.”
Mr Giles says once homes are built there will be no limit on the amount for which they can be sold.
He said: “Freehold sale of residential homes in Alice Springs is a free market environment.
“We are not a communist state and the government therefore doesn’t stipulate how much people can sell their houses for.
“The Territory Government’s priority is to make sure lots are developed and put to the market to stabilise the housing market that the former Labor Government allowed to get out of control.
“This project is great news for Alice Springs, improving housing affordability and boosting the local construction industry.”
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
The freedom of the press still furnishes that check upon government which no constitution has ever been able to provide – Chicago Tribune.
As long as the this government removes Master Builders from the equation small local builders will be able to build houses. Your lack of concern for local builders by not fixing this issue is a disgrace. Time to rule on this discussion and end the uncertainty now.
Confused: Miles and miles of nothing but more miles and miles of nothing and no where to build a house?
Spec builders require continuity. That’s assured work out in front and work underway. If you take the approach outlined in this article you’ll finish off the last vestiges of our building industry. The answer More Blocks! Sell them off in whatever numbers builders or anyone else requires!
The CLP is supposed to be about freeing things up, kicking off the constraints that have held us back for so long, not suffocating the first signs of life.
On top of which the blocks are too expensive, affordable is under $100,000! The land is already owned by the community so take the land component out of the price.
You should also bring the costs down even further by economy of scale, develop more blocks, spread the cost. CLP, if you want to grow private enterprise take your advice from private enterprise not from the bureaucracy that created the mess!
On reflection and after a conversation with the Editor and a couple of builders, and as we are only dealing with 30 blocks, I agree for the sake of fairness there will have to be some kind of rationing to stop one builder buying the lot.
However, we wouldn’t be having this issue if there was a decent sized development underway. It might help to keep in mind that during the eighties and nineties the then Housing Commission was building in the order of 400 homes and units per year!
It was only land shortage created by misconceptions about Native Title and Land Claim that brought this level of building to an end.
So let’s be just a little bit daring and at least develop just one year’s in the eighties vacant block requirement … somewhere between 400 and 500. With that the CLP Govt might even manage to send a signal to prospective builders and Alicespringites that they actually have some faith in our town’s future! Just a thought!
Steve Brown has said it all, twice! More land, more blocks will attract more 1st home buyers if the cost is down and not being held at these inflated prices, in Alice and here in Palmerston. Affordable is not a starting price of $250,000 per block so yes, take out the speculators and provide low cost land. Maybe you might even get some of us up here to move to Alice.
Where is the infrastructure? I am keen on owning a block but not if it exceeds the $180,000 price tag! What are the plans for power, water, broadband etc?
When will these blocks be ready to purchase and build on, Giles? Hope this is not just a money grab, with no investment into creating a new vibrant community / suburb.
Remember the Melanka project collapse, how many years have we heard of development but no action? All good to say land is available but the infrastructure and suburb planning needs to be set in concrete and not take the people of Alice on another ride around the the block. We need the 80+ blocks developed asap, and more, and sold to the average person, not mates of mates in the real estate industry to capitalise and profit from the young Alice Spring singles, couples and families looking for a fair go!
I love Alice Springs, but the segregation between lower income / middle income earners to the Alice rich list stands out way too much. Let’s see where this goes!
I am not quite sure how the above article marries up to the article in the NT News: http://www.ntnews.com.au/news/centralian-advocate/kilgariff-homes-on-target-to-be-happy-christmas-gift-for-some-in-alice-springs/story-fnk4wgm8-1227482012419