Population estimates, available land and an inability to meet greenfield and infill targets are just a few of the key issues identified in the Property Council’s response to the Office of Urban Management’s Draft Regional Plan for South East Queensland announced today.
Revealing details of the Queensland’s leading property industry group’s submission to the State Government ahead of its closing date on February 28, the Property Council commended the Office of Urban Management on the overall direction of the Draft Plan, but has identified some fundamental issues that need urgent review prior to the finalisation of the Plan.
“A robust plan is important for the future,” Property Council Queensland President, Mark Stockwell said, “and we, as the industry’s lead agency, support a strong robust plan because an appropriate plan will deliver sustainable economic prosperity.
“The property industry relies on strong long-term growth and investors need certainty and direction. Local planning needs a strategic base, and a strategic plan should deliver that.”
However, Property Council Queensland executive director Robert Walker said that although the Property Council supported the notion of a plan, it had identified a number of areas that needed urgent review prior to it being finalised.
Mr Walker said an independent review commissioned by the Property Council of Australia and conducted by Ernst & Young found that:
- The population projections relied on in the plan were conservative;
- The available land within the Urban Footprint was not sufficient to accommodate the expected population growth;
- The infill targets set in the plan were extremely ambitious;
- Development targets on Greenfield sites were not achievable; and
- There was a lack of a detailed infrastructure plan to support the growth management strategy.
Further, Mr Walker said that the Property Council was a strong supporter of a plan, and would be submitting a number of recommendations to the State Government including the following:
- That the government needed to urgently review the population projections and “err on the side of caution”.
- Where an identified investigation area had been approved for urban development, those areas needed to be brought into the urban footprint well before 2026 as a lack of available land would cause shortages in supply and push land prices up.
- The government needed to establish a TOD (Transit Oriented Development) corporation that had legislative power to develop and implement a master plan for an identified TOD. The body would have resumptive powers to ensure efficient delivery of the end product and would have planning control over the identified area to ensure effective use of all available land, and have the ability to negotiate development outcomes with industry.
- That the government should ensure that the infrastructure plan had three essential elements:
- It prioritised key infrastructure projects.
- It established a delivery date for all key projects and that the government retains accountability.
- All key projects had budget allocations.
“The Property Council believes it is fundamental for the long-term sustainability of the region that the plan can stand up to public scrutiny and looks forward to working with government in the coming months to ensure the best outcome for southeast Queensland.”
For more information, please contact:
Robert Walker, Executive Director, Property Council of Australia, 0417 072 197
Nikki Schultz, Communications Manager, Property Council of Australia, 07 3225 3000
