The Regional Plan Overhaul and Your Development

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The Regional Plan Overhaul and Your Development

Renee Wall • January 24, 2023

In late 2022, the Queensland Government kicked off their Regional Planning Forward Program, undertaking rigorous reviews of many of the state’s regional plans. All regional plans dated more than 5 years ago will be under careful scrutiny to determine whether they still hold up against the current economic climate and the needs of their regions. But what if they don’t meet needs? And what does it mean for your development?

What is the review and is it important?

The Regional Planning Forward Program is undertaken by Queensland’s Department of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning, who will “undertake a fit-for-purpose review of ten regional plans comprising of key elements that can be tailored to respond to region specific challenges and opportunities. The reviews will adopt a coordinated approach aligning economic drivers, infrastructure priorities and land use planning to deliver a more efficient regional planning program.” (Source: Department of State Development)

Is this review important? Yes, without a doubt.

When it comes to developing strategies, it’s best never to assume that the goal posts will be frozen and unchanged over time. Whilst it is absolutely necessary to identify the goal posts and how to reach them, it’s equally important to monitor the goal posts and ask questions such as:

Are those goal posts still suited to the needs of the region?
Have any needs changed in recent times?
Is the direction being taken still the most effective?
How have our actions impacted other aspects of the region’s growth and development?

Think of the recent economic turmoil, particularly with regards to the housing crisis. Think of differences in climate – in the past few years we’ve been flung from drought and devastating bushfires straight into La Nina and repeated flooding. A lot has changed and continues to change, so do the current regional plans take these things into account?

What is the purpose of a Regional Plan?

A Regional Plan is the vision, goal posts, and guidelines that govern growth and development within a specific region. Queensland is a vast and diverse state, making it too difficult to plan and legislate from the one broad document.

The needs of Central Queensland will vary greatly from those of Far North Queensland or South East Queensland. And so, drawing from state legislation, each of the thirteen regions devises a strategy that is unique to the needs of the region, its communities, its industries, and its people.

A regional plan looks at the region’s:

Statistics, such as its population, economy, and settlements;
Nominated outcomes and the policies to achieve them;
Infrastructure, both existing and opportunities to improve and develop;
State Interests, which guide local government legislation, such as housing, environment, and natural hazards;
Priority Living Areas (PLA); and
Priority Agricultural Areas (PAA).

All this information is pulled together through thorough research and consultation to produce a detailed overview of the region and the requirements that must be addressed to ensure continued strength and growth in economies, infrastructure, agriculture and industries.

What effect does a Regional Plan have on the local planning legislation?

If you’ve ever developed or at least looked into developing, you’ll have likely come across your local Council’s Planning Scheme. This is the locally developed legislation, or codes, that govern where you can develop and what you can develop. It assigns zones and carefully orchestrates the overlapping overlays, such as flood hazard or airport environs, that also affect a development.

Breaking the state down into regions is still a very broad approach to legislating and so these regions are further broken down into the Local Government Areas, or Councils, that we area all familiar with. Along with the State’s Planning Act, the vision and strategy developed in the regional plan trickles down into the local legislation, providing key criteria and regulatory requirements that must be addressed within the planning scheme.

What happens if the regional plan is newer than the planning scheme?

A great deal of work goes into writing a planning scheme, which is why they can often still be in use up to a decade after their release. It’s difficult to expect that a new one be miraculously written to match a new regional plan – it’s not uncommon for these things to simply not align!

In the instance that a regional plan was created after a planning scheme, the specific requirements within a regional plan trump those of the planning scheme. That’s why town planners always check the regional plan before addressing the local planning scheme. The most current legislation wins!

How does this affect my development?

If you’ve been researching a potential development but not actively seeking approval, you may suddenly find that your development is potentially no longer suited to the land you have earmarked for it.

Whilst some special circumstances may allow for assessment against superseded legislation, this would be rare and certainly not something to bank on! All the more reason to leap into action, before new regional plans are in place.

Chat to the Town Planning professionals!

Got a project in mind but want to be absolutely sure it ticks all the boxes? Book your initial consultation with Planning Approval Group today and kickstart that development with peace of mind.

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Top Tips for Achieving Subdivision Approval

By Renee Wall • October 29, 2024

Subdivision, or Reconfiguring a Lot, can be a daunting task for any developer. Whether it be splitting a rural property between siblings or developing a whole new pocket of suburbia, there are vital things that you need to know to make this development journey smoother. Let’s break down subdivision development. Defining Subdivision When people think of subdivision, they tend to immediately think of new suburban developments and mass land releases. This is true, with subdivision not only being the creation of residential developments, but also commercial precincts and industrial parks. However, subdivision isn’t limited to such large-scale development. Another common application is the division of one lot into two or three – for instance a rural lot being formally split between owners. In fact, in many planning schemes you may find it hard to research subdivision, with very little reference to it. This is because the common planning term for this activity is Reconfiguring a Lot. Why not just call it subdivision? Well, the activity isn’t limited to dividing up larger lots of land into smaller ones. It can also include rearranging or merging of existing lot boundaries.

Get Your Queensland Bed & Breakfast Approved

By Renee Wall • September 30, 2024

You’d think that opening your home to others as a short-term accommodation option wouldn’t require much but, as many discover when preparing their dream business, planning legislation says otherwise! Let’s delve into some of the requirements you may face for your BnB.

Cattle Feedlot Approvals in Queensland

By Renee Wall • August 27, 2024

Cattle plays a massive part of Queensland's agricultural industry and economy. With the need for cattle feedlots growing, Planning Approval Group have obtained approvals for numerous feedlot projects across Queensland. Need feedlot approval? Here is what you need to know. Feedlots and Environmental Approvals When submitting a feedlot development application for approval, it can be a little more time consuming than many people anticipate. Where a lot of development applications may only deal with local Council, approval for a cattle feedlot can involve meeting legislative requirements of multiple State Government agencies. One prime example is an Environmental Authority (EA) . Cattle Feedlots exceeding 150 standard cattle units (SCU) are considered an Environmentally Relevant Activity (ERA) under the Environmental Protection Regulation 2019 and so require an Environmental Authority approved by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF). In addition, many farms are situated along state-controlled roads and railway corridors, others may have threatened species of flora or fauna, and some may have critical wetlands and waterways. These, and others, can require submissions of applications with the State Assessment and Referral Agency (SARA) . This is why it is recommended that a town planner be hired to carry out the application process. WPG have the connections, knowledge, and experience to know exactly what needs to be addressed and how best to address it.

Is Your Brisbane Development RiskSMART Eligible?

By Renee Wall • July 30, 2024

A development application can often take two months or more to achieve approval – ever wished you could cut that time right down? If you are developing within the Brisbane City Council local government area, you could be eligible for their ultimate time saver - RiskSMART! What is RiskSMART? RiskSMART is the fast-tracking development approval process in Brisbane City Council that focusses on development projects that are considered low risk and easily assessable. To be considered Low Risk and RiskSMART suitable you must: Be Code assessable (the development suits the zone); Comply with the eligible development type criteria; Comply with City Plan 2014; Meets the ‘Well Made Checklist’ Criteria; Utilise the RiskSMART planning report template; and Have fees paid in full. How Long Does RiskSMART Approval Take? Whilst a standard development would usually take approximately 2 months or more, depending on compliance and requirements, a RiskSMART application will be assessed within 10 business days from the date Council accepts the lodgement as ‘properly made’ . All Councils require development applications be properly made. Once the application is lodged, before it can be assessed, the Council will check that all required documentation is provided and correctly completed. Once this has been determined, a confirmation notice is issued and the assessment period begins. Standard confirmation periods are up to 5 business days. What Is the RiskSMART Eligibility Criteria? Whilst the specifics are dependent on the development itself, the base eligibility criteria are laid out in the table below:

Give Me A Sign - Advertising Device Applications

By Renee Wall • June 18, 2024

Having a sign is part and parcel with owning a business. It’s not only a proud statement of who you are, but it’s also letting people know, “I am here! I have services and goods for you!”. So, with it being a bit of a “given”, did you know that most Councils will require a separate application for your sign? And did you know that a town planner can assist you with this? What Counts As An Advertising Device? What you call a sign may also be referred to as an Advertising Device by the local Council. Signs that generally need approval are those that advertise the business, such as awning signs, pylon signs and fence signs. Directional and general signs may not require approval, but this may depend on the Council and the specifics of the sign. How Do I Know If My Sign Requires Approval? Most Councils will incorporate this information either into their planning scheme or their general permits and building regulations. Some may even provide pages with information and links dedicated to signage and advertising device applications. Examples of this is Brisbane City Council, whose Advertising Device guide can be found HERE , and Central Highlands Regional Council, whose Advertising Device guide can be found HERE . Let’s delve into the above examples to discover what signage advertising devices require approval. Central Highlands Regional Council provides a list of sign types that require approval and also refers to the ‘advertising devices code’ – this code is a part of the Central Highlands Regional Planning Scheme and provides illustrations and descriptions of the types of advertising devices. This code also stipulates specific acceptable limitations of each type of sign.