Greater Springfield, a growing planned community between the cities of Brisbane and Ipswich, continues to expand. The next development at Greater Springfield will be high-density living in the form of Park Avenue Apartments, a six-story complex with 66 one and two bedroom apartments priced between $330,000 and $420,000 that go on sale today. The apartments will be in the masterplanned community’s CBD, Springfield Central.

The project is a joint venture between Springfield Land Corporation and Folkstone, and has been designed by Melbourne’s Plus Architects. This is the first stage of the $200 million plus joint venture, which will ultimately house 600 apartments.

South west of Brisbane, Greater Springfield was born when Maha Sinnathamby and business partner Bob Sharpless bought  a 2860-hectare parcel of former plantation land in the early 1990s for $7.2 million. Sinnathamby, who is chairman of Springfield Land Corporation, was born in a small village in Malaysia and came to Australia in 1962 to study civil engineering in Sydney. His vision for the area has given rise to a small city that houses the suburbs of Springfield, Springfield Lakes, Springfield Central, Spring Mountain, Brookwater and Augustine Heights.

Greater Springfield currently offers housing product from $380,000 to $1.4 million.
“In 1992 we were selling quarter acre blocks of land there for $38,000, which at the time was a record price for the area, but now we are selling a 200 square meter block of land about $150,000 so that’s been the evolution,” said Naren Sinnathamby, his son who is Director of Marketing at Springfield Land Corporation. “In 2001 we started selling the golf course lots [at Brookwater] for $140,000, we’re selling them now for half a million dollars so that elevation has happened there as well.”

In September, a $550 million Dusit Thani resort was announced for the development. Construction begins in May.

Last year, the Greater Springfield Land project won the prestigious President's Award at the Urban Development Institute of Australia Queensland Awards for Excellence. “The vision behind Greater Springfield brings to life a six-suburb-large development - or mini city - that incorporates universities, schools, major hospitals, major retail, commercial and industry as well as residential homes shows genuine industry leadership,” said UDIA President Brett Gillan.