The draft South East Queensland Regional Plan (SEQRP) has been released for public comment, adding an extra 8,200 hectares of greenfield land to the urban footprint since the 2009 version of the Regional Plan. There’s also a greater emphasis on infill development, with the target increasing to 60% (up from 50% in the 2009 version).
Public consultation is underway (until 3 March 2017) and the State Government is seeking submissions. Download the draft SEQRP here. Go to the mapping here.
The SEQRP provides a framework for managing the region’s growth over the next 25 years, including population forecasts which will see SEQ accommodate an additional 2.2 million people by 2041. All land in SEQRP is designated as either:
- Urban Footprint;
- Regional Landscape and Rural Production areas; or
- Rural Living Areas.
The designation can significantly impact the use and development of land. We urge SEQ landowners to check whether their land designation has changed, although don’t get too excited, there have been relatively few changes to the Urban Footprint, with the following exceptions.
Winners & Losers
- Winner: Beerwah East, comprising some 3,200 hectares of land, has been included in the Urban Footprint (allowing for greenfield development).
- Winners: Toowoomba South, Beaudesert South and Oakey Flat West all get an additional 500 hectares or so added to the Urban Footprint.
- Winners: Additional Urban areas have been included in Yandina North and on the western side of Nambour.
- Winner: More emphasis on housing stock diversity with a call for a mix of dwelling types and an increase in infill targets to 60% (think duplexes, medium rise apartments and granny flats).
- Winner: a higher priority for high-frequency public transport (although in most cases, this will require re-prioritisation of budgets and investigations into funding mechanisms).
- Loser: Halls Creek (1,400 hectares south of Pelican Waters, Caloundra), previously identified as a potential future growth area remains so, despite substantial support for it’s inclusion in the Urban Footprint.
- Loser: no change to the ‘Rural’ designation of the former cane lands to the north of the Maroochy River, which we consider a lost opportunity, given it’s central location and access to existing infrastructure.
Submissions Deadline & Further Information:
Submissions must be received no later than Friday 3rd March, 2017. If you would like to make a submission, please contact Mick Sheppard or Scott Sobey on 5443 2844 from the Project Urban team. We’d be happy to discuss how the changes will affect you, or to create a submission to improve the prospects for your land in the final SEQRP document.
Once submissions have been assessed, and the SEQRP finalised, we expect the final plan to come into effect mid-2017.
Note: Unlike previous SEQRP revisions, the current regulatory provisions will remain in place until the final plan is released, at which time the SPRP will be amended.
The South East Queensland Regional Plan includes the following local government areas:
Brisbane City Council
City of Gold Coast Council
Ipswich City Council
Lockyer Valley Regional Council
Logan City Council
Moreton Bay Regional Council
Noosa Shire Council
Redland City Council
Scenic Rim Council
Somerset Regional Council
Sunshine Coast Council
Toowoomba Regional Council (part only).
In the meantime, should you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact us.