DEVELOPMENT approval was granted nearly a decade ago, and finally construction on what will be Queanbeyan’s largest residential complex is ready to begin.
It’s expected the 42-unit, nine-story Furlong House development near the corner of Morriset and Crawford streets will take about 12 months and $11million to complete, with work to commence in early March.
LJ Hooker marketing consultant Chris Farmer said demand for the new units was growing, and enough buyers had now been secured to green light construction.
“This will be the biggest residential complex of its kind in Queanbeyan, and it’s right here in the middle of the CBD as well,” Mr Farmer said.
Queanbeyan City Council initially approved the development back in April, 2004. The former owners Rinaz Pty Ltd on sold the land to Hanson Property Developments back in 2007, but construction work was dependent on enough apartments being presold to ensure the financial viability of the development.
A two-storey office building and some sheds on the 938sqm block were demolished in early 2009 to activate the development application, which otherwise would have lapsed in April that year.
Hanson Property Developments also purchased a small parcel of Council-owned land along the western side of the block in April 2009 to increase the size of the development.
The existing public toilets on that land will be incorporated into the new building, while a section of the Morriset Street car park will be demolished.
A mixture of one-bedroom, two-bedroom, two-bedroom and study, two and three-bedroom apartments are up for sale in the new complex, which will also house two new commercial shopfronts – as yet unsold – on the ground floor.
The first three floors of the development will be used as car parks, while the upper floors will house apartments.
As for the existing, heritage-listed Furlong House cottage that currently occupies the Morriset Street end of the block, the rear half of the cottage will be demolished to accommodate the new apartment building while the front half will be restored and sold as office space for a small, commercial practice.
“It’s a good result for Queanbeyan,” Mr Farmer said. “You’ll get some people out there who aren’t going to like it, but Queanbeyan has got to move into the 21st century.
"I think this development shows that people are believing in Queanbeyan as a growth market.”
Mayor Tim Overall also welcomed construction at the long-dormant site.
“From my point of view, the execution of a construction contract is very much welcome,” Cr Overall said.
“It will only help to revitalise the CBD. I’m also very pleased that Furlong House will be restored. We’ve been waiting for that for a long time,” he said.
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