Community members are being called on to have their say to help shape the future of the city’s Western Growth Corridor, which includes the suburbs of Rosewood, Walloon and Thagoona.
Ipswich City Council Infrastructure, Planning and Assets Committee Chairperson Councillor Andrew Antoniolli said the Western Growth Corridor was one of three major growth fronts in the city and council was committed to making sure its growth was well-planned and sustainable.
“Alongside the areas of Ripley and Springfield, the Western Growth Corridor incorporating the areas of Rosewood, Walloon and Thagoona is a high growth area,” Cr Antoniolli said.
The State Government has earmarked the corridor for urban purposes since 2005 in the first SEQ Regional Plan.
The corridor was expanded in ShapingSEQ 2023, adding an additional 182 hectares to the urban footprint in 2023.
“Over the next two decades, we expect the number of residents who call the Western Growth Corridor area home to grow from about 10,000 today to more than 70,000,” Cr Antoniolli said.
“To make sure this growth is managed in a well-planned and sustainable way, council is developing a Western Growth Corridor Structure Plan.
“The structure plan, supported by an infrastructure plan, will guide the area’s long-term development and provide certainty for residents, businesses and developers about how the area can be developed.
“It will address issues such as housing, infrastructure, environmental conservation and community facilities.
“The plan is currently in its early stages of development and will eventually be considered for future integration into the recently adopted Ipswich City Plan 2025.
“The Ipswich City Plan 2025 guides development across the city but also allows for more detailed area plans to address important growth-management issues at a local level.
“The first step in developing the structure plan is a community survey to find out more about how the community sees these suburbs now and in the future.”
Division 4 Councillor David Martin said council was committed to making sure the structure plan reflected community expectations.
“We are asking the community to share its views on how the area should be developed so that we can ensure when the structure plan is drafted that it reflects the future growth projections, needs and priorities for this emerging community,” Cr Martin said.
Division 4 Councillor Jim Madden said the community’s feedback would be valuable in shaping the draft structure plan.
“Council’s vision is to create a vibrant, coordinated and sustainable future for these communities and to do that we need to properly understand what the community wants as well as the opportunities and challenges that it sees,” Cr Madden said.
To help with developing the Western Growth Corridor draft structure plan, the community is being asked to have its say through a short survey available at Shapeyouripswich.com.au/western-growth-corridor
The survey is open from 16 June to 13 July 2025.
The survey results will be used to help prepare a draft structure plan before it is presented to the community later this year for further feedback.
The Western Growth Corridor is being prepared with $500,000 secured by Ipswich City Council through stream one of the Federal Government’s Housing Support Program, which aims to help improve planning capability of state, territory and local governments.
