Yarrabilba, located in Logan south of Brisbane, has emerged as one of the most popular choices to live for a new generation of homeowners in the region.

The area has experienced explosive growth in recent years, with the estimated population rising from about 3500 in 2016 to more than 9000 last year. About 45,000 people are tipped to call Yarrabilba home over the next 20 years.

Developer Lendlease has recently applied for the rapid release of Yarrabilba’s next stage, which will open up another 2000 residential lots.

This followed pressure from the state government for construction of a new primary school to be brought forward as young families stream into the area. It is the youngest community in the Logan City Council area, with a median age of just 25, nine years younger than the regional average.

The government has tipped in $15 million to help “unlock” Yarrabilba’s next stage, including paving the way for the site of the new school and the start of planning for health and community services.

However, the frantic pace of growth has forced Lendlease to reprioritise development stages, with the new residential lots now leapfrogging plans for a mixed industry and business area.

The new residential stage will have a minimum density of 15.2 dwellings per hectare, typical of greenfield developments around Australian cities.

Much of the 630 hectares of land to be released for development is pine forest plantation owned by the Hancock saw milling family.

Yarrabilba is one of several so-called Priority Development Areas, where development in controlled by the state rather than local council planning schemes.