Liven Communities’ largest development yet – a $105 million, 422-home land lease community at Gowrie Junction, 13km northwest of Toowoomba – has been given the green light.
The developer, a joint venture between investment funds GreenFort and Hong Kong-based Gaw Capital, lodged the development application with Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) in January this year through architects Cottee Parker, planning consultants RPS, landscape architects LAUD Ink.
The project, known as Liven Carabella, will include a country club, health and wellness centre, open green areas and recreational spaces for sports such as lawn bowls, tennis and pickleball.
Founded in June last year, Liven Communities was established when GreenFort and Gaw Capital launched an $800 million land lease community fund, initially targeting 1,200 homes. By mid-2025, that ambition had grown to 3,000 homes,
Staged approval
Due to a lack of spare capacity in the local water network, TRC senior planner Jayden Forbes-Mitchell recommended staging the development. Stage one approval covers 199 dwellings, while stage two for the remaining 231 dwellings is conditional on infrastructure upgrades to council’s water supply network.
“The preliminary approval for stage two does not authorise the carrying out of assessable development without a further development permit, however it otherwise approves all aspects of the proposed development, subject to infrastructure upgrade works and augmentations,” his assessment report noted.
In an unusual deal, the applicant and council agreed to a land swap after the project encroached on a public space called Premier Place Park in the southwest corner of the site. The council relinquished the parkland in exchange for a similar parcel next to an existing open space.
“The land exchange proposed provides benefit by consolidation of assets and the associated future operational and maintenance activities, and it provides for improved accessibility and suitable road frontage,” the TRC report said.
The approval adds to GreenFort and Gaw Capital’s growing pipeline. In recent years, the JV has acquired:
- The 26-home Willow Village in Gympie, with approval for 150 additional homes.
- A 57,000sqm site in Hervey Bay with approval for 132 manufactured homes.
- A 14.76ha oceanfront parcel at Elliott Heads near Bundaberg, approved for 328 homes and forming part of a wider master-planned development with a shopping centre, resort and tavern.
