Assessment system ripe for change

Assessment system ripe for change

Posted on Monday, January 19 2015 at 1:44 PM

The Property Council of Australia is calling for reform of Queensland’s planning and development assessment system, saying it’s needed to reduce the cost of new housing for Queenslanders.

Prior
to the last State election, Queensland’s planning and development assessment
system was rated the second worst in the country, according to Chris Mountford,
Queensland executive director of the Property Council.

“Over
the past two years the State Government has set about reforming the planning
system, with a number of positive actions already undertaken,” he says.

“The
introduction of the State Assessment and Referral Agency (SARA) to coordinate
state planning referrals has been a particularly welcome change.

“However,
planning reform is unfinished business from the government’s first term and we
are calling on all parties to commit to making it an election priority.

“Importantly,
planning reform needs to ring true with local governments if it is to have any
real impact. And this is yet to happen.”

Mountford
says that local government planning schemes need to be a key area of focus for
reforms.

“Planning
schemes are key planning documents in Queensland. They determine where building
can occur and to what scale, and how applications will be assessed.

“But
the fact is that these schemes are now excessively complex. We have seen recent
local government schemes in excess of 4500 pages.

“Whether
you’re renovating your house, or looking to develop a whole residential estate,
wading through this mire of local laws adds time and money to your project.

“At
the end of the day, complex local planning laws add to the cost of building a
house in Queensland.

“This
complexity also reduces the community’s ability to have their say on changes to
local planning laws. How can any member of the community be expected to digest
such complicated rules and regulations to determine how the scheme will affect
their local area?”

The
Property Council is calling on all parties to commit to a new step in the
planning scheme approval process – an independent review made available to the
public.

“An
independent review of council schemes should not only assist in making them
simpler to understand,” Mountford says, “it will also provide certainty for the
local government that the outcomes of their scheme will meet their desired
intent. Additionally, it’ll provide the community with further opportunity to
understand any major changes being proposed in their local area.”

 

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