Earlier this year, Brisbane City Council unveiled “Brisbane’s Future Blueprint”, marking the culmination of $2.1 million community consultation process which involved one in five Brisbane households and over 100,000 residents from every suburb and age group.
The consultation process asked participants important questions about trade-offs and priorities in Brisbane and ultimately determined that Brisbane’s future development is to be guided by eight overarching principles and 40 supportive actions.
This article is the first in a series from our Planning team that will look at the key principles from the Brisbane Future Blueprint.
One of the eight principles is the protection of the Brisbane backyard. The principle involves an amendment of City Plan 2014 (City Plan) to formally restrict townhouse and apartment development on low density residential zoned land.
Currently, the Low density residential zone Code provides that “Development, other than a dwelling house, including dual occupancy or a multiple dwelling is not accommodated within this suburban setting unless on a well-located site of over 3,000m2” (emphasis added).
It is proposed that this provision, as well as other equivalent provisions, be removed entirely from City Plan. The effect will be that dual occupancy and multiple dwelling development on sites over 3,000m2 within the Low density residential zone will not be supported under City Plan.
The Council provided the State government with notice of its intention to make the amendment earlier in the year and requested an early State interest check but has not received a response. In any event, at a meeting of Council on 27 November 2018, it resolved to:
- amend City Plan to remove provisions allowing multiple dwellings in the Low density residential zone; and
- submit a request to the Minister for:
- a State interest review to be conducted in respect of the proposed amendment; and
- the Minister to agree to publicly consult on the proposed amendment.
Minister for State Development, Cameron Dick indicated that the key concern for the State was affordable housing and ensuring that the Council’s proposal did not remove options for people. As the majority of land zoned as low-density residential is contained in Brisbane’s outer suburbs, it will be interesting to see how the State approaches the consideration of housing affordability.
The amendments plainly have the potential to limit the ability to develop Brisbane’s low-density residential zones, specifying that townhouses, apartments and similar multiple dwellings are inconsistent with the zone code. Until such time as an amendment is made to City Plan it would be impermissible of the Council to use Brisbane’s Future Blueprint as a basis to refuse development applications.
For more information or discussion, please contact HopgoodGanim Lawyers’ Planning team.