Toowoomba Regional Council has secured land in Westbrook for a future water treatment plant, taking an early step to strengthen water security and enable growth across the city’s rapidly developing south-west corridor.
The site acquisition, finalised in early February, provides Council with certainty about the long-term location of a major new treatment facility and positions the project to seek state and federal funding to accelerate delivery.
Mayor Geoff McDonald said securing the land was a strategic move to protect future supply and ensure the bulk water network can keep pace with development.
“This is a location that will help strengthen our network, support growth in the south-west and provide capacity through the existing Toowoomba Bulk Water Supply network,” McDonald said.
Council authorised negotiations to acquire the Westbrook property at its December Ordinary Meeting after the opportunity emerged late last year.
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Planning ahead for water security and housing growth
The new water treatment plant is scheduled for completion by 2034, reflecting the scale and complexity of the required infrastructure. However, Council has made it clear that earlier delivery would be possible if external funding can be secured.
Deputy Mayor Rebecca Vonhoff said the land purchase removes a major barrier to accelerating the project timeline.
“With the scale of infrastructure required and the opportunity we have to meet the housing target requirements set by the State Government, we simply cannot deliver a new treatment plant any sooner without investment from other levels of government,” Vonhoff said.
“But with funding, we could get it done much earlier, especially since now the land is sitting there ready to build on.”
Council said development interest across Westbrook, Glenvale and surrounding suburbs continues to grow, placing increasing pressure on existing water infrastructure.
“We’re seeing strong interest from the development industry for housing in Westbrook, Glenvale and surrounding areas, but nothing happens without water,” Vonhoff said.
New plant to anchor broader network upgrades
The proposed treatment plant forms part of a wider program of works aimed at expanding supply capacity across Toowoomba’s southern and south-western suburbs.
Council’s planning includes around 9 kilometres of new trunk water mains, new pumping stations and transfer infrastructure to move treated water to a new Mt Peel Reservoir, with onward connections to the existing Gabbinbar Reservoir.
Once delivered, the expanded network is expected to support suburbs including Glenvale, Drayton, Westbrook, Wyreema, Hodgson Vale, Vale View, Darling Heights, Middle Ridge and Kearneys Spring.
Council said locking in the site now provides long-term certainty for infrastructure planning while giving it flexibility to respond to funding opportunities as they arise.