Location
The Western Corridor is situated on the outskirts of the south west corner of the Brisbane City Local Government Area, approximately 20km from the city centre. The majority of the area is located in Ipswich City, which is Queensland’s oldest provincial city, and stretches from Wacol, through Ipswich CBD and on to Amberley. The Corridor also includes areas to the north and south encompassing suburbs like Springfield, Ebenezer and Swanbank. The Western Corridor is a key component of the SEQ Regional Plan and is expected to undergo radical changes in the near future.

Economic overview
The Western Corridor is mainly contained within Ipswich City. The City Council, together with State Government, is largely responsible for the development and success of the region. The Gross Regional Product for the Ipswich City amounts to almost $2.7 billion annually, with the major contributors to this being manufacturing, retail trade, government administration and defence, and property and business services. Ipswich is home to the RAAF Base located in Amberley which is the largest employer in the City. Ipswich City’s resident population was recorded at 140, 752 people in 2005, an increase of 3.7% or 4,961 people compared with 2004, making it the 8th fastest growing and the 3rd largest region in the State. This figure was up compared from the previous year’s growth of 3.0%. Over the period from 2000-2005, the City has had an average annual growth rate of 2.3%, slightly higher than Queensland’s average of 2.2% per year. In the year to June 2005, the area experienced an influx of migration, recording 73.8% of total population growth. The current resident population is approximately 145,000 people, a total population increase of 15% since 2000, and is expected to reach 180,000 people by 2011 and almost double that by 2026, achieving growth rates in the order of 4.0% to 4.5%. By 2026, Ipswich City is projected to be the fastest growing region in South East Queensland.

Housing Market
Building approvals in the Western Corridor have increased by over 140% since 2000 at an average of 23.7% per annum. The housing market within the region has gained momentum since 2001, with 2004 providing the largest increase in dwelling approvals. Approvals went from 1,115 in 2003 to 2,116 the following year, an increase of almost 90%. More recently, 2005 experienced an 18% decline in approvals but continued demand in the Corridor saw 2006 stabilise to record an increase of 4.3% to finish the year with a total of 1,812 approvals for new dwellings, of which 97.5% were for separate houses.

The Western Corridor has seen some spectacular price growth in recent years. Median house prices have been consistently on the up, prompted by the decentralising of the major metropolitan area of Brisbane and the population growth of South East Queensland. Since 2000 median house prices have increased an average of 19.6% per annum, with 2003 as the stand out performer. 2003 recorded a 20% increase in the number of sales and an astounding 51% jump in median house price compared with the previous year. 2004 performed almost as well, achieving an additional 44% growth on top of the 2003 figure to end up with a median value of $205,000 and all this despite a 30% decrease in the number of sales. Over the past two years growth has stabilised, achieving rates of approximately 6%, which is similar to the growth rate of 2002. The number of sales per year has evened out, recording an average of around 2,600 sales.

Rental Market
According to the Office of Economic and Statistical Research (OESR), the outer areas of the Brisbane LGA are experiencing a vacancy rate of 2.0%. The Western Corridor falls into the outer region of the LGA and therefore is experiencing relatively tight rental conditions. Since 2001, rents in the Western Corridor have increased at an average of 8.1% per annum, with 2003 and 2004 being the years with the greatest rental increases. In 2003, rents jumped from $186 per week to $220 per week, an increase of 18% compared with 2002.

There was a further increase in rents the following year with a 10.5% increase to end 2004 with a rental value of $243 per week. 2005 saw a slowing in the market which had the effect of a more modest rental growth for the year of 4.3%, followed by 2006 which recorded an increase of 5.5% to finish the year with average weekly rental figure of $267. Similar increases experienced in 2006, are expected for the short to medium term, driven by population growth, the expansion of Brisbane to the west and the unavailability ofaffordable stock in metropolitan areas. Since 2001, the Western Corridor has seen total rental growth for three bedroom houses increase by 44.1%.

Facilities and Access
The Western Corridor is self sufficient when it comes to shopping, with five relatively large shopping complexes. The majority of which are located in the Ipswich CBD providing a hub for the area. Providing an alternative to the Ipswich commercial area, Redbank and Springfield each have their own shopping centres. The Mirvac built Orion shopping complex in Springfield, will be the largest shopping centre in the Southern Hemisphere with the first stage of this development due to open in March 2007. The typical shops and services can be found within these centres enabling residents to have all their shopping needs met without having to travel to the metropolitan area of Brisbane.

Education facilities in the area have been on the rise in recent years, with the University of Queensland opening an Ipswich Campus in 1999, offering all the same courses as the more established campus of St. Lucia. The University of Southern Queensland has also seen the potential of the region and in 2006 opened their Springfield Campus, accommodating over 350 students. The Springfield Campus is part of a larger development area including primary and secondary schools, an entertainment and shopping complex, and training colleges.

The Western Corridor is home to over 40 primary and secondary schools, providing both state and private education as well as special needs institutions. Located just minutes outside of Springfield is the Greg Norman designed Brookwater Golf Course, providing residents with five star golfing facilities and a leisure option that is highly sought after.

Access to the Western Corridor is achieved primarily by two means. Firstly there is the road network consisting of the Warrego Highway, which starts at the western side of the region and runs eastward into the Ipswich CBD. From there it connects with the Ipswich Motorway, giving direct access to Brisbane’s western suburbs and the CBD. The second is the Queensland Rail’s Citytrain network that runs regular services from as far west as Rosewood to Central Station in the heart of Brisbane, with numerous stations in between. The location of these stations provides the residents of the region with easily accessible public transport to the city centres of both Ipswich and Brisbane. There are plans for a rail network to access the southern area of the region, where the current rail line does not offer any service to residents. There are also preliminary investigations being carried out, regarding a public transport corridor to link Springfield and Ipswich CBD.

Infrastructure Spending
The urban sprawl that is pushing to the west of Brisbane City, has forced substantial infrastructure planning and spending throughout the Western Corridor. There are plans currently in place to improve and upgrade transport facilities such as road networks and rail lines. There are other projects in progress in the region that will provide jobs such as the redevelopment of the RAAF Base, education with the construction of new schools, and sustainable living with the Western Corridor Recycled Water Scheme.

The expense in the development and improvement of the Western Corridor indicates that local councils, State Government and the Federal Government are in the process of addressing the pertinent issues concerning the region with costs estimated in excess of $4.5 billion, with the bypass of the Ipswich Motorway making up the majority of spending, estimated at $2.3 billion. The bypass will link the Warrego and Cunningham Highways with the Logan Motorway in what will be the most expensive above ground road in Queensland history.

Demographic trends
The overall population in the Western Corridor is relatively young with only 8.7% of the population being over 65, compared to the Queensland average of 11.37%. Ipswich City also has a higher proportion of under 14 year olds, reflecting the dominance of young family households living in the region, particularly in the newer housing development areas. The median age in the City, based on the 2001 Census, is 32 compared with the Queensland median of 35.

Ipswich City is encountering the same problem of an ageing population as the rest of the nation, with 2026 forecasts showing a median age of 42, higher than the predicted state median age of 41. Similarly, the average household size is decreasing gradually, closely following the national and Queensland trend. In the 2001 Census, Ipswich City recorded an average household size of 2.9 persons per household, down 0.1% from the previous Census in 1996.

This figure is comparable with the state average of 2.8 persons per household. This translates into houses in the area needing to be of an appropriate size to accommodate households with families of three plus people. The presence of the RAAF Base in the region and the fact that it is the largest employer in the City means that there may be a large proportion of people and families needing housing for the medium to long term.