AT the unscheduled Council meeting on July 24, Southern Grampians Shire Council (SGSC) endorsed its preferred developer for the sale of Lakes Edge land following an expression of interest process that attracted strong interest from the market.

There remains a significant body of work to finalise the contract, particularly the accompanying Section 173 agreement which will ensures Council’s expectations for the site are met during the development.

The developers’ details will remain confidential until these documents are finalised.

With approximately 22 hectares of Council-owned vacant land (pending planning approval), Lakes Edge has the potential to yield 230-260 housing lots, depending on how the land is utilised.

“This is a very exciting outcome for the Shire,” SGSC mayor, David Robertson said.

“Developing this land offers a very promising solution to alleviate the current housing shortage in Hamilton, particularly for our key workers, allowing us to meet the growing demand within the region.

“As you can imagine with a contract of this size, there is significant paperwork to go through before we are able to publicly release the preferred developer, which we look forward to doing as soon as possible.

“Council are excited to work with developers to make this land release a reality for our region.”

The Lakes Edge development has been a key strategic priority for SGSC with the objective to provide residential development sites, to alleviate the chronic housing shortage, particularly key worker housing in Hamilton.

SGSC’s 2041 Community Vision outlines a vision for the Shire to be “a place of choice to live, work and invest in” with a focus on sustainable development and infrastructure.

The Community Investment plan was also a factor to highlight the need for affordable housing and advocates for investment in infrastructure to support new housing developments, with a focus on increasing the supply of affordable housing for key workers.