The Newman Government has unveiled landmark reforms to revolutionise the way local councils, the development and construction industry and the State work together to make the best planning decisions for all Queenslanders.
Creating the State Planning Policy is a landmark moment in our comprehensive reform of Queensland’s planning and development processes.
We promised to deliver better infrastructure and planning and bring an end to Labor’s obsession with red tape and over-regulation.
This policy delivers on that commitment by replacing the previous government’s 14 confusing, contradictory state policies with one single document.
The end result will be better, more consistent planning by councils and quicker, clearer decisions for applications by developers and other stakeholders.
The new policy provides greater clarity for local government by consolidating in one document, the state interests and policies that councils must consider when preparing or amending local planning schemes, or assessing development applications. It will make it easier for them to reflect and balance state interests up front in local planning schemes, ensuring the right development in the right location, without unnecessary delays.
Developers now also have a clear guide to assist them when preparing applications for certain types of development or in certain areas when the local planning scheme is yet to reflect the policy.
State interests are matters the Queensland Government has an involvement in to meet economic or environmental objectives, or to ensure Queensland’s planning system operates efficiently and effectively. The policy will be complemented by a single source of mapping material that visually represents these interests in a transparent and easy-to-use manner in the one spot. The plan arranges 16 separate state interests under five broad themes:
- Liveable communities and housing
- Economic growth
- Environment and heritage
- Hazards and safety
- Infrastructure
The policy was the result of 15 months of intensive public consultation undertaken by the Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning, which considered more than 300 submissions. The State Planning Policy and supporting documents are available online at www.dsdip.qld.gov.au