Moreton Bay’s 2016-17 annual report reveals council’s strong economic position.

Moreton Bay’s 2016-17 annual report reveals council’s strong economic position

A statistical snapshot of Moreton Bay Regional Council’s performance has reflected the region’s strong economic position and reinforced council’s focus on continued growth and job creation in 2016-17.

Speaking at council’s coordination meeting on November 8, Moreton Bay Regional Council Mayor Allan Sutherland said region-building and job-creating projects such as the region’s largest public infrastructure project – the $998million Redcliffe Peninsula Line and The Mill at Moreton Bay “were a catalyst in future-proofing the region’s economy”.

“We’ve had a phenomenal year and it’s only going to get better from here with the introduction of council’s new Economic Development Action Plan setting out a strong plan to create ongoing economic opportunities for our future generations,” Mayor Sutherland said.

“Moreton Bay is one of Australia’s fastest growing urban areas and we have the strongest economy in the state so we are in prime position to capitalise on local jobs, and renewed economic stimulus for local businesses and suppliers.

“Just over 12 months ago we officially opened the Redcliffe Peninsula Rail Line, which not only helped connect more than 35 per cent of the region’s residents to South East Queensland’s rail network for the first but saw an incredible upturn in economic benefit and job creation.

“During that time, council approved 39 new residential developments in the suburbs adjacent to the rail line, including new townhouse developments and apartment buildings in suburbs such as Kallangur, Murrumba Downs and Mango Hill.

“We have also see a number of major retailers opening their doors in our region and major manufacturing brands have relocated their businesses to Moreton Bay such as TJM at Brendale in 2016-17.

“In 2016-17 we welcomed the completion of North Lakes ’much-anticipated IKEA store and $170 million Westfield expansion in November, which supported more than 4700 construction and 900 new retail jobs for the region.

Mayor Sutherland said the opening of the rail line complemented the Queensland Government’s declaration of the new Priority Development Area (PDA) at The Mill at Moreton Bay.

“This project will set to support 100 construction jobs per year through the university construction alone, and 6,000 ongoing jobs and $950 million in economic activity by 2036.

In 2016-17, Moreton Bay Regional Council delivered its seventh consecutive budget in surplus, which Mayor Sutherland said opened plenty of opportunities for council to “invest in region-building projects and provide great outcomes for ratepayers”.

“In 2016-17, council processed 3857 development applications and endorsed 4088 lots of which 3367 were residential. This delivered the highest number of residential lots approved in the state – more than double any other Local Government and makes up a third of all lots approved in South East Queensland.

“Council also invested more than $124 million in road upgrades in 2016-17 to help improve road safety and ensure our roads are maintained well into the future to cater for our community’s needs.

“With a strong commitment to supporting active and healthy lifestyles council invested more than $32million towards local parks, sport and recreation. We installed the region’s first jumping pillow as part of a $2.5million upgrade of Scarborough Beach Park.

“In waste management, council invested more than $44million, which included upgrades to waste facilities and waste collection in 2016-17 in a bid to reduce and recycle waste.

“We’ve worked hard as a council this past financial year to deliver great outcomes for our ratepayers and customers and our enduring efforts won’t stop here,” he said.

Snapshot:

• 2.83 million visits to council’s website – an increase of 3.4%
• More than 950,000, 543,300 emails and 13 790 voice messages distributed via MoretonAlert
• 240,405 calls to Council’s call centre (660 per day), with 98% resolved at first point of contact
• Processed 151,600 items of correspondence and emails
• Responded to an average of 1,900 requests a month from council’s online app and website
• Council’s caravan parks provided more than 51,600 nights of accommodation – an increase of 10.2%
• 3789 development applications received – an increase of 35.1%
• 2,220 pieces of graffiti removed – a decrease of 7.5 per cent
• 519 bridges and 3,365 kilometres of sealed road maintained and a further 240 kilometres of unsealed road maintained
• Conducted 20 planned burns across 193 hectares of bushland in preparation for fire season
• Hosted 79 exhibitions, attracting more than 126,000 visitors to council’s art galleries and museums
• 1.43 million library visits and more three million items loaned.

“The 2017/18 financial year is shaping up as another exciting year for the Moreton Bay Region with a strong capital works plan to deliver new infrastructure and ongoing services for the region,” Mayor Sutherland said.

To view Moreton Bay Regional Council’s full 2016-17 Annual Report, visit https://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/annual-report/