Strategic Town Planning

Strategic Town Planning In Queensland

ADC offers a comprehensive suite of strategic planning services, including but not limited to the following:

• Planning Scheme Policy Development and Review for local urban planning;
• Priority Infrastructure Plans;
• Indigenous Land Use Agreements (ILUA); and
• Public Policy Submissions regarding property development and related town planning matters.

Planning Scheme Policy Development and Review

A planning scheme is a statutory document which sets out objectives, policies and provisions for the use, development and protection of land in a particular area. Typically, a planning scheme regulates the use and development of land through planning provisions to achieve specific objectives and policies.

Planning schemes are legal documents prepared by the local council or the Minister for Planning.

ADC’s senior town planning staff has extensive experience in preparing town planning schemes on behalf of a variety of Queensland local governments.

ADC’s senior planning team has also had considerable experience in writing public policy documents and submissions for local government clients for submission to State Government agencies.

Priority Infrastructure Plans

Under the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 (SPA), all local governments were previously required to include a Priority Infrastructure Plan (PIP) in their Planning Schemes. With the introduction of the Sustainable Planning (Infrastructure Charges) and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2014 (SPICOLA 2014), local governments are now required to include a Local Government Infrastructure Plan (LGIP) instead of a PIP.

An LGIP is that part of a planning scheme that identifies the local government’s plans for trunk infrastructure that are necessary to service urban development at the desired standard of service in a coordinated, efficient and financially sustainable manner.

From 1 July 2016 onwards, all local governments will be required to include an LGIP in their planning scheme if they intend to levy infrastructure charges or impose conditions for trunk infrastructure.

Senior ADC Planning staff has previously assisted Councils with priority infrastructure planning.

ADC’s Planning Manager was responsible for preparing Mount Isa’s Priority Infrastructure Plan and has extensive experience in the complex process of preparing plans for trunk infrastructure and in the calculations required for determining appropriate levels that should apply to infrastructure charges mechanisms.

Indigenous Land Use Agreements (ILUA)

An ILUA is a voluntary agreement between a native title group and others (typically local Councils) about the use of land and water. These agreements allow people to negotiate agreements to suit specific circumstances.

ADC’s Planning Manager has been directly involved in ILUA preparation and negotiations including:

• Determining specifically whether native title has, or has not yet, been extinguished;
• Assisting Council regarding native title holder agreements as to future development;
• Consideration of the issue of compensation; and
• Assisting Council regarding employment and economic opportunities for native title groups as a component part of the agreement process.

Public Policy Submissions

ADC can assist in the preparation of comprehensive submissions to either local or State government on town planning and land development policy related matters that affect individual land parcels or a client’s property rights in general.

Usually, this work is focused on either:

• Professional town planning representations arising from a new planning scheme – and the scheme’s public notification process; or
• Representations to State government regarding high-level strategic land use initiatives that may affect a specific property or the development opportunity on a property that a client has an interest in; or
• The preparation of a submission of support/opposition to a specific development proposal that may affect a client’s particular property or property interests.

Contact ADC

ADC offers expert consultancy services in relation to strategic planning in Queensland. We provide a full spectrum of town planning, property development, engineering surveys, and land surveying services according to client needs. If you’d like to arrange for a consultation, you can contact us at your local regional ADC office in Brisbane, Townsville, the Gold Coast, or Rockhampton.