The new Housing Availability and Affordability (Planning and Other Legislation Amendment) Bill 2023, introduced to the Queensland Parliament on 11 October 2023, proposes to amend the Planning Act 2016 to improve Queensland’s planning framework in responding to housing supply challenges across the State.
The Bill provides a suite of tools and operational and process improvements to the planning framework by removing barriers affecting housing and land supply in areas where growth should occur. Short term targeted interventions are proposed to address key challenges associated in the delivery of housing and land supply.
These include:
State acquisition of land powers
- New State powers to acquire land and create easements to facilitate urban infrastructure through private properties to support development sequencing and delivery.
Alternate development assessment pathway
- New ‘State facilitated development’ assessment pathway for developments that are considered a State priority such as infill and affordable housing.
Introduction of the Urban Investigation Zone
- New zone to help Councils plan for and sequence the delivery of development in growth areas (i.e land use and infrastructure planning). This includes pausing development applications to allow planning to be completed. State facilitated development applications may continue to proceed in this zone.
Other operational amendments
- Declaration of temporary accepted development for a land use/s addressing an urgent need negating the requirement for a development approval.
- Streamlining of Planning Minister direction powers where local government can be directed to amend a local planning scheme to reflect a State interest.
- Protection of existing businesses from urban residential encroachment and nuisance proceedings.
- Change to public notice requirements where public notices are no longer required in hard copy newspapers.
- Stronger heritage rules where Queensland heritage places are also local heritage places.
- Other process improvements to support an efficient planning framework.
The Bill is currently with the State Development and Regional Industries Committee for detailed consideration.
Read the Queensland Government’s media statement here.
