New Ipswich Planning Scheme hits key milestone
29 July 2022
A new Ipswich Planning Scheme to help manage the city’s state-leading growth is a step closer to completion after council endorsed a first draft of the scheme for State Government review.
Council prepared the draft after a series of community engagement activities and it will now be reviewed by the State Government before further community consultation, expected in 2023.
Growth, Infrastructure and Waste Committee Chair Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said council’s current planning scheme was one of the oldest in the state and well overdue for updating.
“The current scheme has helped provide a framework to manage the growth of the community by 100,000 people, however the challenges our city faces today and into the future are not the same as they were when the current scheme was developed,” Mayor Harding said.
“Our city’s population of 241,000 is expected to more double in the years ahead to 520,000 by 2041.
“To manage this growth, we need a planning scheme based on current best practice planning principles to ensure the extra 112,000 dwellings our city will accommodate by 2041 are developed in a sustainable way that enhances our city’s way of life.
“In preparing the draft scheme, council has worked closely with the community to understand how residents want to see their city grow.
“Studies on key issues including flooding, vegetation management, commercial and industrial land supply, waste, housing density and major growth suburbs have also been carried out to ensure the new scheme addresses our city’s challenges.
“Residents and stakeholders will remain at the forefront of the scheme’s creation with a further round of formal community consultation expected to be held in 2023 after the State Government’s review of the first draft.”
Growth, Infrastructure and Waste Committee Deputy Chairperson Councillor Paul Tully said the new scheme was being developed alongside a new Local Government Infrastructure Plan (LGIP).
“The Local Government Infrastructure Plan is about planning for the network of roads, open space and land for community facilities across the city,” Cr Tully said.
“This is massive piece of work and is one of the core strategic documents for the council to use in guiding investment decisions.
“The preparation of a new Local Government Infrastructure Plan will proceed through a different statutory process to the preparation of the new Ipswich Planning Scheme but it is expected that both will be completed in unison.
“These programs of work are about effectively managing our city’s growth and the appropriate delivery of community infrastructure and facilities.”