Coorong council invests in housing development on Kulde Road
Ratepayers’ money will be used to buy and rezone a parcel of land at Tailem Bend, then sell it off for housing.
With housing in high demand around the Murraylands, a local council is looking to provide a solution.
The Coorong council revealed on Friday that it had spent $200,000 on a block of land at 104 Kulde Road, Tailem Bend.
The 2.4-hectare property had previously been owned by federal agency Airservices Australia and used as a base for two large radio communications towers.
However, it was deemed surplus to requirements last September.
The council’s purchase of the property was settled on June 11.
Mayor Paul Simmons said the council’s ownership could allow up to 20 homes to be developed on the property.
“Had council not acted, the site could have been developed as a single rural living block or split into just a few lots, limiting its potential,” he said.
“This acquisition ensures orderly and economically efficient growth, allowing council to guide planning outcomes and infrastructure investment.
“This was an exceptional opportunity and a shrewd investment that will benefit the community for decades to come and allow council the flexibility to develop land based on community needs into the future.”
The property currently sits within a rural zone, which limits the type of development able to take place there.
Mr Simmons suggested the council would have it rezoned as neighbourhood land – suitable for residential development, like most of the rest of the town – next year.
If sold after that, any proceeds could be returned to the council’s coffers and used for other projects that would benefit the community.
The area north of Kulde Road was identified as being key to Tailem Bend’s growth aspirations in a 2023 council strategy, and again at the launch of an investment prospectus last year.
The property’s sale price was decided upon in confidential negotiations between the council and Airservices Australia, based on an independent valuation, the council said.
