On Thursday 2 February 2017 it will be 12 months since the new planning scheme (City Plan) came into effect.  Therefore, Requests to Apply a Superseded Planning Scheme under section 95 of the Sustainable Planning Act 2009, whereby a person may request that a proposed development be assessed and decided under the superseded planning scheme (Gold Coast Planning Scheme 2003 and City Plan Version 1) will cease at midnight Thursday 2nd February 2017. 

A Request to Apply a Superseded Planning Scheme must be lodged and the $2,431.00 fee paid by this date and may be agreed to, or refused within 30 business days.

The Planning Act 2016 is set to replace the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 on 3 July 2017. It will introduce changes to how development applications are assessed. The City Plan team are undertaking a project to align City Plan with the new legislation. This requires updates to terminology and strengthening codes to facilitate bounded code assessment. Bounded assessment requires assessment only against the prescribed matters set out within the codes.

The City is conducting a review of the pavement design standards required under the City Plan Land Development Guidelines (City Plan LDG’s).  Until the current review is complete and any consequential amendments have commenced Council has endorsed applying the most recent version of Planning Scheme Policy 11 Land Development Guidelines pavement design requirements to development approvals.

City officers have received queries on determining the level of assessment for boundary realignments – that is, rearranging the boundaries of a lot that does not result in any additional lots being created. Accordingly, the following advice is provided:

With Alisha Swain finishing tomorrow (Tuesday), Planning Assessment Executive Coordinator Roger Sharpe will fill the Manager of City Development role until recruitment is finalised. Having worked in the Planning and Environment for over twelve years, Roger has spent the past decade as Planning Assessment Executive Coordinator.

Council has also received queries in relation to the level of assessment for the creation of lots in open space and conservation zones within a broader subdivision, where those lots are to be dedicated to Council or State. This can be a common occurrence for large subdivision proposals over sites that have more than one zoning.