Ipswich City Council has revised its draft Ipswich Plan 2024 following community consultation, with the plan now sent to the state government for final review and approval.
Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said the Council resolved at its January 25 meeting to progress the proposed new planning scheme to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Planning.
“Council’s current planning scheme is one of the oldest in Queensland so it is exciting to see the new draft scheme being shaped by community feedback and nearing completion,” Mrs Harding, who also serves as Growth, Infrastructure and Waste Committee chair, said.
“Thousands of Ipswich residents have engaged with Ipswich City Council’s draft new planning scheme, Ipswich Plan 2024.
“During our public consultation phase, more than 500 formal submissions were lodged and almost 100,000 residents engaged online through our Shape Your Ipswich page and Facebook.
“Council has now assessed all the submissions and used them to amend the draft scheme and we will now move to the next step and seek Ministerial review.
“We will also proceed with preparing communications to the community and industry about the next stages of the project as well as prepare responses to the 506 public submissions received during the community consultation phase.
“This step marks significant progress towards the adoption of the new planning scheme. The draft Ipswich Plan 2024 is central to how our city will manage our growth and development into the future.”
Growth, Infrastructure and Waste Committee Deputy chairperson Paul Tully said the new planning scheme is a major piece of work that is being progressed carefully and thoroughly to ensure it delivers the best outcomes for Ipswich.
“Councillors and planners actively engaged with more than 700 residents across the city during the consultation process through community information sessions, talk-to-a-planner sessions and online seminars,” Cr Tully said.
“The main areas arising from submissions related to flooding and the overlay mapping, a range of zoning changes, subdivision of rural areas and concern with further development in established residential areas.
“All feedback has now been considered and used to further refine the draft. I am hopeful the State’s review will be concluded in early 2024, allowing Council to formally adopt the new scheme in the middle of 2024.”
