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Longreach Regional Council

Longreach Regional Council
 

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Planning Scheme

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Current Planning Scheme

Proposed Planning Scheme Amendment – Major Amendment No. 2

Current Planning Scheme

The Longreach Regional Council Planning Scheme helps us manage future land use and development in the Longreach Region. 

A planning scheme:

  • Makes sure buildings get built in the right place;
  • Guides developments to fit in with their setting and the desired character for the surrounding area;
  • Encourages a mix of housing types to meet people’s life stages;
  • Makes communities more resilient to natural hazards such as flood and bushfire;
  • Minimises the impact of development on the environment;
  • Makes provision for affordable and accessible essential services;
  • Helps communities to move towards a sustainable future for their region.

A planning scheme only regulates new development. Existing uses can continue to operate indefinitely, even if they are inconsistent with the provisions of the current planning scheme, provided they were established lawfully. However, a change in the nature or scale of an existing development will be assessed against the new or amended planning scheme that is current.

View the current Longreach Regional Council Planning Scheme here

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Proposed Planning Scheme Amendment – Major Amendment No. 2 (incorporating a proposed Planning Scheme Policy amendment)

Council is pleased to advise that the proposed Major Amendment No. 2 is now on public display. Council also proposes to make amendments to the planning scheme policy incorporated into the planning scheme at Schedule 5. The community and stakeholders are encouraged to review the document and invited to provide feedback.

The purpose of the proposed Major Amendment No. 2 and proposed planning scheme policy amendment is to ensure future land use and development in the Longreach Region is well-facilitated, appropriately situated, and designed to support the region's growth, prosperity, and environmental well-being. 

The proposed amendments (including maps) can be viewed online below or in person at Council’s Branch Offices in Ilfracombe, Isisford and Longreach. Interested parties may also request to purchase a copy of the document from Council.

Any person can make a written submission about any aspect of the proposed amendments, during the public consultation period. 

The public consultation period is from Monday, 21 August 2023 up to and including Friday, 22 September 2023.

Submissions are now closed
For more information contact our Governance and Economy team on (07) 4658 4111 or email council@longreach.qld.gov.au.

Click below to download a copy of the marked-up document illustrating the amendment to the Longreach Region Planning Scheme proposed by Major Amendment No. 2, excluding mapping which is downloadable separately (due to file size).

Download full marked-up Major Amendment No. 2 document

Note: Changes are not proposed to the Local Government Infrastructure Plan (LGIP) as part of Major Amendment No. 2. A separate plan-making process is required to amend an LGIP.

Proposed Maps

Note: Changes are not proposed to the Local Government Infrastructure Plan (LGIP) mapping as part of Major Amendment No. 2. A separate plan-making process is required to amend an LGIP.

Supporting material

The following document was prepared to inform the plan-making process for the proposed Major Amendment No. 2:

Town Planning Report: Expansion of the Rural Residential Zone – Longreach Region Planning Scheme Major Amendment Project (December 2022)

Planning schemes in Queensland are required to be consistent with the regulated requirements set out in the Planning Regulation 2017 and to appropriately integrate the State Planning Policy. The proposed Major Amendment No. 2, in particular updated mapping, has been informed by the mapping published by the Queensland Government (Department of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning) within its State Planning Policy Interactive Mapping System (SPP IMS) accessible via https://planning.statedevelopment.qld.gov.au/planning-framework/mapping and QSpatial.

Frequently Asked Questions - Proposed Planning Scheme Amendment – Major Amendment No. 2

We’ve noticed a surge in development applications over the past few years and as part of that we’ve noticed a number of recurring issues that keep coming up. One of the aims of this process has been to address these common issues in a consistent way, where currently the scheme offers little guidance to Council or applicants. In addition, we received feedback from stakeholders about challenges related to the current scheme. Lastly, we wanted to take the opportunity to bring our planning scheme up to date, considering the latest advances in our region and worldwide.

The typical timeframe for making major amendments to a planning scheme takes anywhere from one-and-a-half to two years. Some stages of the process rely on Queensland Government input which is out of our control.

All development applications are subject to approval under the planning scheme that is current at the time. The proposed amendments will not be current until the final document is adopted by Council. 

Council wants to encourage sustainable and appropriate development that furthers the economic and social progress of our region. We’ve been trying to improve the level of service we deliver relating to planning and development, and this project is aimed at building on those improvements. However, certain aspects of the planning and development process are limited by state and federal legislation and remain out of our control.