Queensland infrastructure and growth management plans
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh today announced a series of initiatives designed to better plan the state’s future infrastructure needs amid population growth forecasts. These reforms are part of the Queensland Government’s response to its recent Growth Management Summit.
New Queensland Infrastructure Plan to manage growth
The new Queensland Infrastructure Plan (QIP) is designed to work as a long term planning document, integrating the existing Queensland Roads Investment Program (RIP) and SEQ Infrastructure Plan and Program (SEQIPP) as well as other state infrastructure planning documents.
Anna Bligh said the first QIP would be delivered next year and key features would include:
- A state-wide blueprint of road, public transport, health and education infrastructure needs to match forecast population growth.
- A state-wide pipeline of targets with the credibility to attract federal funding.
- A prioritisation, sequencing and maturity assessment of projects across all of Queensland’s regional planning frameworks
- A plan incorporating significant economic development activities (such as the new LNG industry) and associated infrastructure needs.
Consultation with South East Queensland councils about existing dwelling targets in their regions would also be a major new direction of QIP.
The Queensland Government is investing in the largest infrastructure program in the state’s history, with a forecast expenditure of $18.2 billion in 2009-10.
New bodies for growth management
Two new bodies will be the focus of the state’s growth management policies.
A new agency, Growth Management Queensland(GMQ) and a new Infrastructure Charges Taskforce have been established ahead of the Government’s official response to the Growth Management Summit.
Growth Management Queensland would be at the centre of coordinating the Government’s growth management agenda.
Issues on its agenda include:
- Improvement of development approval processes in Queensland;
- Creation of delivery timetables for land supply, including greenfield sites;
- Accelerate development of infill sites and delivery of priority TOD precincts;
- Protect and improve liveability in our communities – for example by delivering more green space.
Anna Bligh said the new Infrastructure Charges Taskforce would look at how local governments deliver infrastructure for new development in Queensland.
For more information about these announcements, please contact your Hawker Britton consultant.