“Your city. Your local area. Your land.”
It’s the new catchcry which will accompany a two-year process to develop a new Planning Scheme for the city of Ipswich.
Ipswich City Council today launched a five-week consultation process which will seek views and advice from the public and stakeholders about the overall directions and some initial thinking on a new city plan.
Although not required by law, council interim administrator Greg Chemello said it was important to gain public input every step of the way.
He said it was an extremely important document for Ipswich, as it would determine what types of structures could be built into the city’s future, and where.
For the purposes of planning, the next city plan is proposed to be presented as 30 local area plans.
Prepared under the guidance of state planning laws, the scheme helps to identify the necessary infrastructure to support growth and create a more diversified economy, Mr Chemello said.
“Importantly, it also protects residents’ way of life by looking at aspects such as open space, the environment, city heritage and opportunities for recreational development,” he said.
“We are one of the fastest growing cities in Australia with our population expected to more than double over the next 20 years.
“That provides immense challenges.”
There are three distinct components of the plan which people will be asked to comment about:
- Your City: How a strategic framework applies to the whole of the Local Government Area;
- Your local area: How the framework applies to 30 separate local planning areas, in particular the overall preferences for development options in each of these areas; and
- Your land: These are designations which affect each individual land parcel, including the land on which each house sits.
Mr Chemello said there were aspects of the planning scheme which were determined by the State Government, such as flood lines and some zoning requirements.
“This initial consultation period is about gaining your advice and views about those aspects of the plan council can control,” he said.
“It’s about making decisions which best meets the long term interests of current and future residents of Ipswich”.
The proposed new planning scheme starts out with a “Statement of Proposals”, a series of strategies and approaches which impact each area of the city.
A strategic framework then looks to map the strategy in more detail.
Ultimately, the framework seeks to:
- Balance the competing interests affecting land use and development;
- Protect the key valuable features of the Ipswich Local Government Area;
- Effectively deal with the wide range of constraints on, above and under land that affect development within the Ipswich Local Government Area;
- Establish an appropriate, ecologically-sustainable, growth management framework;
- Identify key infrastructure to service both the existing community and new growth areas; and
- Provide an indication for the future zoning of land.
“Given the importance of this document to the future development of your city, I encourage everyone in Ipswich to look at it, get an understanding of it and have their say on it,” Mr Chemello said.
“Over coming weeks during the consultation phase, we’ll be explaining various important facets of the document so everybody has a clear understanding of what it means and how it impacts your city, your local area and your land.”
