The original developer of the Fernbourne Grove Bayside Villas at Wellington Point, 22km east of Brisbane, had promised to build 90 village units and villas accompanied by a communal swimming pool, croquet field, gym, lake sanctuary as well as a community centre.

However, the developers went into administration and the project stopped after the 16th unit was completed, leaving a large area of undeveloped land and no communal facilities except for an undercover barbecue area.

The 20 existing residents were unable to sell their houses while others had unfinished homes. Several developers considered purchasing the site but didn’t follow through.

It was only in August 2018 that local residential developer Fiteni Homes purchased the undeveloped land and with concerns about the viability of the original plan for 90 units, put forward an application for a traditional village of 50 homes which will now be built on the site.

“After acquiring the site, we met with the residents on a regular basis over a year to understand what was important to them,” Fiteni’s Assistant Development Manager Tom Barker said.

“The consistent feedback we received was their desire to have a place for meetings, socialising, relaxation and celebrations.”

“It has been a very successful and rewarding partnership with the Fernbourne Grove residents.”