The Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) this week held its inaugural forum to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the region.
The think tank, sponsored by Villa-wood, created a platform for the UDIA to take an increasingly active role on the Tweed as an independent liaison between developers, Council and other regulatory bodies.
A panel of speakers addressed the forum on a range of topics including demographics, supply, infrastructure requirements and the development approval process.
Ray Group (which developed the $1 billion Salt Village) CEO Tom Ray said the company's research had shown after the recent lift in sales volume, there were only about 350 lots remaining in the pipeline for development across the Tweed.
"That sets a very good base for future growth," he said. "People need to recognise although values have come back significantly, history does repeat itself and those that buy in today will be able to reap the rewards of the next upswing."
He drew a number of comparisons between Tweed and Gold Coast beachfront property, highlighting the cyclical nature of the property market and the importance of recognising value in the current low phase.
"In the lead up to the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), the relative ease of obtaining credit led to a housing bubble where prices for a 400sq m beachfront lot on the Gold Coast reached about $8 million, while at the same time we were selling larger beachfront lots at Salt Village for about $3 million," he said.
"We virtually sold out of all stock at those prices but when the GFC hit, the market stalled and those values were no longer attainable."
predominantly by end users including many young families."
Oliver Hume Real Estate Queensland joint managing director Marcus Buskey said with 350 developable lots remaining on the Tweed Coast, there was about two years' supply based on current sales rates.
"It's important to recognise this is all that remains for those who want to live within walking distance of the beach," he said. "There will be another 10,000 lots released by Leda over the coming years to help cater to demand but this new stock will be positioned west of the highway, so it will attract a different market."
He was positive about the future of the region with buyers showing more confidence and the area attracting a wider demographic.
"With the upgrades to the highway and Sexton Hill, we now have more buyers moving down from the Gold Coast and Brisbane, and choosing to commute to school and work each day," Mr Buskey said.
"While there hasn't been a lot of price growth there has been a definite growth in sales volume, and with financiers starting to be a bit less stringent in terms of lending, the wheels are starting to turn again."
Richard Duce, of Leda Developments (the developer of Cobaki and Kings Forest), said the population of the Tweed was about 85,000 but an estimated additional 38,000 people were expected to move to the region over the next 18 to 20 years.
"It's no secret there are significant land constraints along the coastal corridor, and that's why we expect our two projects to absorb about 70 per cent of future land take up."
Consolidated Properties (which developed the $1.5 billion Casuarina Beach) CEO Don O'Rorke said "the demand for both residential product and a new retail centre at the heart of Casuarina was "very strong", and the proposed 20ha retail and residential community, Casuarina Village, would set the region in good stead in terms of population growth over the coming years.
UDIA Gold Coast Logan Branch president Stephen Harrison said the Tweed Coast was shaping up as an active one.
"The UDIA can assist by ensuring clear lines of communication exist between peak industry bodies and by taking a proactive approach to identifying and training new talent in the development industry," he said.
Tweed Shire Council Planning and Regulation director Vince Connell said the council was reviewing a number of its internal planning processes in line with new State Government reforms.
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