Southern Downs now has single planning scheme

The new town plan for the whole of the Southern Downs region has finally been adopted and came into effect on Tuesday.
New development applications will now be considered against the Southern Downs Planning Scheme rather than the former planning schemes for Warwick and Stanthorpe.
The Southern Downs Planning Scheme is only the second planning scheme to be adopted in the State under the Sustainable Planning Act and puts the council at the leading edge of Local Government planning in Queensland.
Its adoption simplified planning as the two former planning schemes were replaced by one single planning scheme with consistent policies across the whole of the region.
“To finally get to this point has taken a lot of hard work and its completion is a credit to all those involved in the process,” said Ken Harris, director of planning and environment.
“The Southern Downs Planning Scheme has been four years in the making, with the first community meetings about the plan held in July 2008,” Mr Harris said.
Further community meet-ings were held in 2009.
“These early meetings provided the council with information about what the community really valued about the place where we live,” he said.
Following the community consultation process, a draft planning scheme was built, taking into account residents’ concerns for keeping the individual character of our towns and villages, respect for our cultural heritage, encouraging economic growth in the rural, industrial and commercial sectors and protecting areas of significant environmental value and scenic beauty.
This draft planning scheme was formally advertised for submissions in August and September 2011. Exactly 100 submissions were received. These were considered by the council and changes to the scheme were made as a result.
Throughout the process, the council liaised extensively with State Government departments in order to ensure a successful outcome.
The Southern Downs Planning Scheme has been a collaboration between the community and the council, with input from the State Government.
During the preparation period, the council spent considerable time negotiating outcomes with State Government departments. In some cases, the government departments have required changes to the planning scheme, which were not proposed by the council.
Mayor Peter Blundell commented on how valuable the community’s contribution was to producing this comprehensive document for the whole region.
He acknowledged that, while the council was required to make inclusions requested by the State Government, the new planning scheme essentially reflects the input received from the community.
“The council would like to thank the numerous community members who attended meetings, made submissions and contributed so extensively to the plan preparation process,” Cr Blundell said.
“The council’s thanks and appreciation also go to the council’s manager strategic planning, Jeanette Davis for the incredible amount of work she has contributed to the development of this scheme,” Cr Blundell said.
“The Southern Downs Planning Scheme has truly benefitted from being led by community values and grounded through community feedback,” he said.
For more information on the new planning scheme, contact the council on (07) 4661 0300.