Our City Our Plan Major Update 2 & 3 documents

The Our City Our Plan (Major Update 2 & 3) amendment package has been sent to the Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning for his consideration to adopt. The documents linked below provide supporting information to the Summary Report to support Ministerial consideration.

For further information on the items view our supporting material below. To view the consultation reports view Our City Our Plan (Major Update 2 & 3) amendments.

Round 4 Background reports

Item 3 – New low–medium density residential zone

Item 9 – Built form improvements

Item 11 – Existing light rail urban renewal area overlay review

Item 15 – Identified growth areas

Items 22 & 23 – Environmental mapping, & rural & rural residential landscape & environment precinct

Round 4 Item 22 & 23 Technical report for critical corridor analysis associated with City Plan Major Update 2 & 3(PDF, 19MB)

Round 2

Item 3 – Low-medium density residential zone

Attachment H – Item 3 Low medium density residential zone(PDF, 1MB)

Item 9 – Build form improvements

Attachment I – Item 9 Built form improvements(PDF, 2MB)

Item 11 – Proposed amendments to the Light Rail Urban Renewal Corridor

Attachment J: Item 11– Proposed amendments to the Light Rail Urban Renewal Corridor(PDF, 1MB)

Item 14 – Driveways and vehicle crossing update

Attachment P – Item 14 Driveways and vehicle crossing update(PDF, 1MB)

Item 15 – Targeted growth

Attachment K – Item 15 Targeted growth(PDF, 5MB)

Item 16 – Urban expansion Upper Coomera investigation area

Attachment Q – Item 16 Urban expansion Upper Coomera investigation area(PDF, 1MB)

Item 20 – Neighbourhood Centres

Attachment G – Item 20 Neighbourhood Centres(PDF, 1MB)

Item 22 – Environmental Mapping Biodiversity Areas Overlay Map

Attachment M – Item 22 Environmental Mapping Biodiversity Areas Overlay Map(PDF, 20MB)

Item 22 & 23 – Vegetation management overlay map, landscape and environment precinct

Item 26 – Community infrastructure – interface areas

Attachment N – Item 26 Community infrastructure – interface areas(PDF, 3MB)

Round 1

Items 1 & 2 – Building height overlay map & new building height categories

Changes are proposed to define building heights in metres instead of storeys, allocate a height to every property and expand building height categories. These changes will make it easier for the community to understand the City Plan's intent for heights within the city. This will also simplify the development assessment process and provide a visual representation of the sustainable city shape.

Item 3 – New low-medium residential zone

A new low-medium residential density zone will encourage more suitable development ensuring building heights and density are in line with the City Plan's intent and support the 'missing middle' as identified in Shaping SEQ South East Queensland Regional Plan 2017.

Item 4 – Residential density changes for limited areas

In updating the residential density overlay map to incorporate the new residential zone, 3 areas were identified that required additional changes to protect their existing character and alignment with the zone's intent. These include all of Sovereign Island as well as areas in Currumbin and one property in Nerang.

Item 5 – Building height changes for limited areas

While redefining the City's building height policy, a number of building height alignment issues were identified and addressed in specific areas.

Item 6 – Building height changes for limited properties

As part of redefining the City's building height policy, achieving better alignment between building height, residential density and zone intent results in mapping changes for 246 properties located in Broadbeach, Main Beach, Hope Island and Varsity Lakes.

Attachment A - Policy recommendations(PDF, 59KB)

Item 7 – Chevron Island zoning review

To address community concerns and infrastructure capacity issues on Chevron Island we are proposing to reduce height and density zones for the area. A new Chevron Island Precinct will also be created to help ensure building heights for future developments are aligned to the City Plan.

Item 8 – Community benefit bonus elements policy removal

In response to internal and external stakeholder feedback, a review of the City Plan policy – Community benefit bonus elements found that the current policy was not delivering the intended outcomes as originally drafted. It is proposed that this policy be removed.

Item 9 – Built form improvements

To better reflect contemporary architecture and built form outcomes, we are improving provisions for buildings.

Item 10 – Changes to communal & private open space

Community focus groups and studies have shown that residents value private open space, parks and public transport access more than communal spaces. In response to this feedback, the City is proposing to:

  • reduce the requirements for communal space to reflect contemporary practices
  • increase the amount of private open space required for future multi-unit developments to ensure private balconies are useable.

Item 11 – Existing light rail urban renewal area overlay review

In response to stakeholder feedback, the City has undertaken a built form review within the existing Light rail urban renewal overlay area.

The review has revealed the City needs to focus on improving the design of the ground floor of buildings in the light rail urban renewal corridor overlay area. To ensure any future development in the light rail urban renewal corridor overlay area creates a high-quality public realm and positively contributes to the City's lifestyle, a number of key improvements to the Strategic framework and the light rail urban renewal overlay code are proposed.

Item 12 – Transport code changes

Since the adoption of City Plan, a total of 193 matters have been raised from internal and external stakeholders regarding the workability of transport related provisions in City Plan. Due to the volume of feedback, this has resulted in a review of all transport-related provisions in the City Plan.

This review has led to a number of changes to the Transport code and the Reconfiguring a lot code. The proposed changes seek to strengthen the operation of these codes and to better reflect the city's demand for both car and bicycle parking for some development types.

Council report – City Plan major update 2 – general policy refinement – transport outcome(PDF, 189KB)

Item 13 – Shared access easement improvements

The City is proposing to limit the number of lots that can share an access easement to only two lots. This change will reduce conflict between neighbours and improve long-term maintenance arrangements.

Council report – City Plan major update 2 - general policy refinement (part 2)(PDF, 881KB)

Item 14 – Driveway & vehicular crossing update

To support a more streamlined application and approval process, the City is proposing to make changes in response to recurring issues regarding driveways and vehicular crossings.

Item 15 – Identified growth areas

To better accommodate the next five years of population growth in the right locations that are supported by the right types of infrastructure at the right time, the City has identified three priority growth areas at Biggera Waters, Labrador and Southport West.

The diversification of dwelling choice in the identified priority growth areas will also be supported by the introduction of the new Low-medium residential density zone.

The Light Rail Stage 3 and adjoining residential areas were excluded from Council's five-year Growth Allocation project because the detailed business case was incomplete at the time of the investigation.

Item 16 – Urban expansion: Upper Coomera investigation area

Through the City Plan investigation area work program, the City has identified potential long-term opportunities to responsibly manage new growth in our city. In consultation with property owners, the Upper Coomera investigation area of Courtney Drive has now been appropriately planned to accommodate a new community which balances residential opportunities with planning for open space and wildlife.

Various changes to City Plan are now proposed to assist with planning future development opportunities within this investigation area.

Item 17 – Deletion of investigation areas

The City's investigations areas program has determined 4 of the 13 investigation areas identified in the urban footprint as unsuitable for further redevelopment opportunities. The City's investigations have identified significant constraints to development such as inadequate developable land, flooding issues or the land was already improved by existing development.

Therefore, it is proposed that the Mudgeeraba (Bonogin Road), Gilston (Pyrus Court) and Carrara (Whitian Drive) investigation areas are removed from Strategic framework map 1.

Council report – investigation areas program – preliminary feasibility assessment – inside the urban footprint(PDF, 264KB)

Item 18 – Improvements to the Future Industry Precinct

To help stimulate economic growth and employment opportunities in Yatala and having regard to the infrastructure now available, the Future Industry Precinct was uplifted from 39 properties through City Plan Minor Update 4 amendment package.

This change is to reduce red tape and help stimulate investment in employment land in the precinct, which is a significant provider of employment to the wider population of the Gold Coast. This item seeks to provide further stimulation to those properties within the Future Industry Precinct, by lowering the levels of assessment for industry land uses.

The City remains committed to ongoing monitoring of development and the provision of necessary infrastructure within the Future Industry Precinct to support the timely release of the remaining properties.

Item 19 – Industrial land uses

To maintain liveability in our city, the tables of assessment for the low impact industry zone will be updated to discourage medium impact industry occurring in low impact industry zones within 250 metres of a zone for sensitive land uses. Medium impact industrial uses in the low impact industry zone will only be facilitated in areas located further than 250 metres from a sensitive use.

To protect the limited amount of land adjoining waterfront in the waterfront and marine industry zone, it is proposed to discourage low impact industry, medium impact industry and research and technology uses on sites that directly adjoins water.

Item 20 – Neighbourhood centre improvements

Neighbourhood centres are intended to be clusters of land uses that seek to support the needs of the surrounding community. Currently, City Plan identifies that the establishment of new neighbourhood centres in a suburban neighbourhood (typically found in the low density residential zone) are determined by the needs of their immediate neighbourhood catchment, calculated as the planned population and/or jobs within a 1000-metre walk from the proposed centre. However, this planning principle was considered to make new neighbourhood centre difficult to achieve due to their low density environment. Therefore, an alternate measure has been proposed.

The City also undertook a review of the types of activities and trading hours occurring in our existing neighbourhood centres. To support the ongoing vitality of our neighbourhood centres located in the "coastal tourism or urban strip" identified on Strategic framework map 5 and at Paradise Point, we are proposing to extend trading hours from 10pm to midnight, where centres are located on busy roads and noise management treatments can be put in place to mitigate any potential impacts on residential amenity.

Item 21 – Shops in high density residential zones

To support small business and promote small-scale stand-alone developments in high density residential zones, we are removing red tape by lowering the level of assessment for a shop where it consists of a neighbourhood store that does not exceed 150 square metres and where proposing to establish within an existing non-residential premises.

Council report – City Plan major update 2 – general policy refinements (part 1)(PDF, 5MB)

Item 22 – Environmental mapping

New mapping technology, up-to-date science and new State government environmental mapping has been introduced since our last City Plan.

In response, we have undertaken two investigations which have informed the proposed updates to the Environmental Significance – vegetation management overlay map and the Environmental Significance – biodiversity area overlay map.

This update has resulted in the refinement of the city's biodiversity corridors and a greater level of certainty within the urban footprint.

Item 23 – Rural & rural residential landscape & environment precinct

In response to various submissions received on the draft City Plan, the City has now reviewed its Landscape and environment precinct in the rural and rural residential zones. As part of this review, the mapping methodologies have been refined to determine what specific onsite environmental and landscape values need to be reflected and included in these precincts.

The extent of rural and rural residential landscape and environment precincts on the zone maps have been updated to reflect more accurate data inputs and better align with the intent of the precincts to protect environmental and landscape values.

Item 24 – Healthy waters code

Requirements of the State Planning Policy and recent industry feedback prompted a review of the Healthy Waters code. Aligning with the State Planning Policy, to better protect our waterways, the proposed updates will encourage better water sensitive design outcomes that support best practice stormwater management to help remove pollutants in our waterways and reduce changes to stormwater flows across the city.

Item 25 – Community Infrastructure – improving alignment

Like any city, we need community infrastructure such as emergency services, parks and substations located in our community. To make it easier for services to be established where they are needed most, we are proposing to lower the categories of development and assessment for these land uses.

In addition to these changes, to further improve the alignment of City Plan, in specific zones across the city it is proposed that the level of assessment for:

  • caretaker's accommodation is reduced
  • permanent plantation is elevated.

Item 26 – Community infrastructure – interface areas

Changes are proposed to buffer areas for the Pimpama and Elanora sewage treatment plants to more accurately reflect local conditions.

To further support the protection of the city's sewage and water treatment plants and landfill sites, additional changes are proposed to discourage the establishment of any future sensitive land uses (i.e. new residential development) inside the mapped buffer areas.

Item 27 – Dual supply system

New provisions are proposed to the dual supply system overlay code and water resource catchment overlay code to streamline the application process. As part of the recommended improvements the term 'dual reticulation' is proposed to change to 'dual supply system' and applicants will no longer be required to demonstrate impacts on the network through a potable network analysis.

Council report – City Plan committee report – confidential – City Plan – major update 2 – general policy refinement update – dual reticulation(PDF, 117KB)

Item 28 – Rural & rural residential zone amenity

Part of the attraction of the Gold Coast's rural and rural residential communities is the quiet rural lifestyle they offer. The City wants to further protect rural and rural residential zone amenity by requiring a more rigorous approval process for transport depots that park multiple large trucks on their rural properties.

Item 29 – Retirement facilities

As our population ages, we need to facilitate opportunities for people to age in place in their own neighbourhoods. This means improving City Plan to support and facilitate residential care and retirement housing located in the right locations to meet the city's growing demand.

Item 30 – Mapping updates

City Plan mapping is constantly monitored and regularly updated to ensure it remains accurate and up to date. This update proposes changes to select maps to remove inaccuracies, make it easier for people to read and understand and provide clear direction on the intended outcomes for certain properties.

Item 31 – Tables of assessment

To improve clarity within City Plan; and provide consistency for the development industry and community as to what land uses are contemplated within each zone it is proposed to remove land uses listed as impact assessment in the categories of development and assessment tables in all zones.

Council report – update to City Plan categories of development and assessment(PDF, 138KB)

NA – Pause notice response – consequential administrative & editorial improvements

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