FAQs
- Completing the online survey; or
- Emailing us at SPU@redland.qld.gov.au; or
- Writing to: The Strategic Planning Unit (Title: JROCR local area plan), Redland City Council, PO BOX 21, Cleveland QLD 4163.
- Booking a meet the planner session on Tuesday 25 March or Tuesday 1 April
- Calling Council on 3829 8999 and requesting to be directed to the Strategic Planning Unit
- Emailing us at: SPU@redland.qld.gov.au
Q: How long is the consultation period and when does it close?
The consultation period will run for 29 business days and closes on Friday 2 May 2025.
Q: How can I have my say?
After you have reviewed the maps and background information on this web page, including the Local Area Plan scenario document, submit your feedback by:
Q: Why did Council produce two different local area plan options/scenarios?
Presenting the draft local area plan in different ways allows the community to gain a better understanding of how the study area might change over time. It also enables Council to gain a better understanding of issues, challenges or unintended consequences that may have been overlooked during the drafting of the local area plan scenarios.
Community feedback obtained during the consultation period will be used to prepare a draft Local Area Plan that will be released for a second round of public consultation before being finalised (subject to Council endorsement).
Q: Will Council provide an overview of the feedback received?
A consultation summary document will be produced at the end of the consultation period. It will provide an overview of the submissions received and outline how they were considered. The intention would be to make this document publicly available once it has been considered by Council.
Please note that, for privacy reasons, the report will not identify individuals or entities that made submissions.
Q: How will Council use feedback received during the consultation period?
The feedback received during the consultation period will be used to validate the land use planning opportunities and constraints across the study area and gauge community attitudes towards key proposals, as reflected in the local area plan scenarios. This information will be used to refine the draft local area plan.
Q: How can I find out more?
You can contact/speak to a planner by:
Q: What are the key steps in developing the local area plan?
Refer to the project lifecycle diagram on this web page for an overview of the key stages in the local area plan formulation process.
Q: Once finalised, how will the local area plan be implemented?
The local area plan is intended to inform a future major amendment to City Plan (subject to Council approval), including future iterations of the Local Government Infrastructure Plan (LGIP). This will give the local area plan statutory effect.
Future development applications within the study area would then be assessed and decided against the new assessment benchmarks in City Plan, with the vision of the LAP developed over time. The local area plan will also inform future Council activities within the study area, such as landscaping and maintenance operations.
Q: What happens if the zoning of my property changes?
Queensland planning legislation protects the ongoing operation of existing lawful uses. This means that if the underlying zone changes, the existing use can continue to operate in perpetuity, subject to existing approval and development conditions.
However, once an amendment to City Plan takes effect, the new assessment provisions (rules) apply. This means that future development applications would need to comply with the new assessment provisions in City Plan.
Q: What if the underlying zoning of the land changes and existing lawful businesses continue to operate?
If the final local area plan proposes for land to be rezoned, the assessment provisions (rules) within City Plan will need to be amended to ensure future interface issues between new and existing development are appropriately managed. Revised assessment provisions within City Plan will not resolve existing issues, however they will ensure that where new development is proposed, potential interface issues with existing development are appropriately considered and addressed through the development assessment process.
Q: Will any land be compulsorily acquired?
No. Future infrastructure upgrades, such as road widenings and new pathways, will be facilitated through the normal development assessment process as properties are developed over time.
It should be noted that Queensland planning legislation protects the ongoing operation of existing lawful uses and businesses can continue to operate in accordance with existing development approvals.
Q: If the underlying land zoning changes, are residents, landowners, businesses etc. required to do anything?
No. Existing uses and rights are protected under Chapter 7, Part 1, Section 260 of the Planning Act 2016. To remove any doubt, this means that residents can continue to occupy existing dwellings, landowners are not obliged to sell their land and existing businesses can continue to operate in accordance with existing development approvals.
Q: Can a development application be assessed against the current provisions in City Plan?
Yes. Any application lodged before an amendment takes effect is assessed against the current provisions in City Plan. Once an amendment takes effect, the new City Plan provisions apply.
It is also worth noting that the Planning Act 2016 enables an applicant to request for an application to be assessed under a superseded planning scheme (i.e., the version of the planning scheme that was in effect prior to the planning change happening). This is referred to as a ‘superseded planning scheme request’ and can be made up to 1 year after the new version of the planning scheme takes effect. Such requests provide fairness and flexibility to property owners and developers that may have been preparing their applications under the superseded planning scheme.
Q: Will the local area plan make development happen?
No. City Plan is a guiding tool for managing growth and assessing development applications; it does not directly cause development to occur. Typically, development is initiated by the private sector when market conditions support economic feasibility (i.e., when the expected return on investment is acceptable). As a result, changes in the urban landscape can happen quickly or gradually over time, depending on evolving market conditions.
Q: Why aren’t the development opportunities under the current City Plan being realised?
The current City Plan provisions support Medium Density Residential (MDR) development across much of the study area. This includes townhouses and apartments (multiple dwellings) up to a nominal building height of 13m, as outlined in the Medium density residential zone code. Despite this, only a few sites, such as the Capella Bay aged care facility, have realised their development potential.
To better understand existing market conditions, Council commissioned a development feasibility report from consultant firms Innovociti and Bluebird in September 2022. The report identified high construction costs and high house and land prices as key factors currently limiting development opportunities across the MDR zone.
This situation demonstrates that increasing dwelling capacity alone does not result in development opportunities being realised. Furthermore, supporting increased building heights through the local area plan will not necessarily improve development feasibility. Rather, development feasibility is influenced by a complex range of factors, and opportunities may only be realised when market conditions improve.