BUILDING has begun ona newlow-cost housing development which is expected to house 2000 people in large apartments and residential lots.
The Mandurah Junction development is located next to the train station and is a joint venture between LandCorp and the Federal Government.
Some of the 15-hectare site is part of the Housing Affordability Fund, a Government drive to create clusters of low-cost homes by 2016.
Developers LandCorp were given $2million in Federal money to share among the 12 apartment site and 49 residential lots.
LandCorp project manager Sergio Famiano said the developments had been sold predominantly to first home buyers, with $36,000 discounted from each home and $12,800 from each apartment.
Stage one of the Mandurah Junction project includes three density sites, with two three-storey apartment sites and one mixed-use site.
The mixed-use site has potential for residential apartments and commercial floor space, including offices, with a minimum height of three storeys and a maximum height of five.
Mr Famiano said building heights had been moderated in the Outline Development Plan, with most capped at three storeys and some at a maximum height of five storeys.
He said the public consultation period had passed and “the majority of feedback was positive.”
Planning for Mandurah Junction began in May 2009, with the closure of the formal consultation period in April 2010 and approval from theCity of Mandurah and the Western Australian Planning Commission confirmed soon after.
Stage one of construction began last year and by August LandCorp had released the house and land packages, followed by single residential lots in November.
The developments were designed for sustainable living and were close to the train station to promote the use of public transport.
“The properties are about affordable living and the affordable cost of running a home,” Mr Famiano said.
Mayor Paddi Creevey said the council had worked closely with LandCorp to ensure the development meets the needs of the growing Mandurah community.
Councillor Lyn Rodgers said the gardens demonstrated LandCorp’s commitment to the environment and said the council chose to work with the company “because we didn’t want a concrete jungle.”