Your neighborhood - Review of Moreton Bay Regional Council (MBRC) Planning Scheme
Within the General Residential Zone, there are sub-zones, called Precincts. Suburban is low density, Next Generation is 4-6 storeys (Redcliffe Peninsula) and Urban is high density. Each property is also subject to overlays that restrict development, eg. flooding and bushfire hazard.
Pluses - It provides a 20yr
framework for development in the area, & land use zoning for the next 10
years. This allows Council to respond to needs of the community and provides
certainty for homeowners and developers.
Minuses -
It's a 4471 page document! Because of it’s length & complexity, it
can’t be easily understood by the local community. Fact sheets prepared by MBRC
are easily misunderstood.
Weaved into the plan is a lot of “red tape”. The big developers have the resources
to deal with that, but it will really crush opportunities for “mum & dad”
developers.
Standard definitions
were introduced by the current Government for Building height, site cover &
outermost projection, but as with the precincts, MBRC have decided to make up their own. In some
cases, this will enable 100% of the site to be covered by roofed buildings,
leaving no space for landscaping, and infiltration of stormwater.
The circumstances under which Council will permit altering the natural
ground level are unclear. An increase of
1m has significant impacts to adjoining properties, particularly when the building
is built to the boundary.
RED TAPE
REDUCTION OPPORTUNITIES
-
If MBRC adopt the
definitions for site cover and outermost projection contained in the
Queensland Planning Provisions, lower and less bulky buildings will result and we
will be part of a consistent statewide approach. There is a need for these
definitions to be included in legislation, so any changes can be debated.
- Delete medium Bushfire overlay for existing suburban areas.
