Planning and Development

Earlier this month the State Government released the consultation draft of the Planning and Development Bill.

The Property Council has been closely engaged with the development of the new planning Bill since 2013.

Planning reform was one of the three tenants of the Property Council’s ‘3 keys to unlock Queensland’s engine room‘ campaign which was launched following the most recent State Government election. Under this campaign we advocated strongly for a planning system that delivers certainty, efficiency and clarity to all stakeholders.

Planning for Queensland’s development is also one of the five strategies that underpin our 2014 advocacy agenda; Building a Prosperous Queensland.

Over the past 12 months, the Property Council has participated in monthly stakeholder working groups and industry forums and has provided feedback on several key issues papers.

The Planning and Development Bill will replace the Sustainable Planning Act 2009, and aims to reduce over-regulation, red tape and excessive timeframes.

The Bill has come at a critical time, as the Development Assessment Forum (DAF), of which the Property Council is a committed member, will soon begin development the latest iteration of the DAF Planning Report Card. The 2012 report card gave Queensland’s planning and development assessment system the worst grade of any mainland state.

The draft Bill and the consultation draft for the Planning and Environment Court Bill are available for comment from 1 August through to 26 September. You can access the draft Bills here.

An information sheet, containing a chapter by chapter breakdown of the Bill, can be found here.

The Property Council will be developing a submission through our Planning and Infrastructure Committee.