City of Gold Coast Planning and Development Hub

The City of Gold Coast recently endorsed the Local Government Infrastructure Plan (LGIP) Stormwater quality draft amendment to the City Plan to go out for public consultation. This amendment has been approved by the Minister to progress to public consultation.

The LGIP Stormwater quality draft amendment is open for public comment until Tuesday 13 November 2018. All LGIP artefacts can be found the City website.

Community information events will be held during the consultation period to provide the opportunity for face-to-face discussion.

Community information event details:

Following public consultation, we will review every properly made submission and make changes to the draft amendment if required. The City will then seek final approval from State Government to proceed to adoption of the LGIP Stormwater quality draft amendment.

For more information on the LGIP, please email strategicinfrastructure@goldcoast.qld.gov.au or phone Strategic Infrastructure team on (07) 5582 8229.

From 1 October 2018, Water and Waste will start to enforce the supply of calcareous aggregate concrete on sewer infrastructure projects on the Gold Coast.

City of Gold Coast’s Water and Waste Directorate currently maintains more than 69,000 maintenance holes. Under certain conditions, gases in the sewerage system can cause corrosion of these assets. By specifying calcareous aggregate concrete for new sewer maintenance holes, this increases their resistance to acidic corrosion, resulting in reduced ongoing maintenance costs.

Contractors need to start procuring calcareous aggregate concrete as specified in the SEQ Code IPAM List, available from http://www.seqcode.com.au/products/. Refer to category “SEWERAGE MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS”, specifically ‘Pre-cast Maintenance Holes’, and ‘Cast in-situ MH’s (Concrete-special class)’.

Further information can be provided to you at your next project pre-start meeting. If you have any queries please contact Coordinator Asset Audit & Handover, Nathan Pearson on (07) 5582 8145.

City Plan Version 6 includes updated flood overlay maps developed utilising a more robust software platform, up-to-date flood related topographic, land use, technological and hydrological data.

The updated mapping considers future changes to climate, incorporating the projected increase in sea level of 0.8m above present day levels by 2,100 established by the State Government in 2015.

The updated mapping also includes the State Governments projected 10 per cent storm tide intensity and 10 per cent rainfall intensity, based on advice from industry representatives.

To view the updated mapping, visit http://cityplanmaps.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/CityPlan/index.html

City Plan Version 6 commenced yesterday and incorporates Major Update 1 & 1B and Minor and Administrative Update 5.

The new version includes updated Flood overlay mapping, revisions to improve development outcomes for housing on lots less than 400m² (small lot houses) and refinements to the residential density provisions and subdivision requirements within the Low density residential zone.

Below is a full summary of the changes.

Water and Waste would like to extend an invitation to two representatives from your organisation to attend our complimentary Better Business Breakfast.

The City of Gold Coast is inspired to help your business win the war on waste and is pleased to present guest speakers who will provide proactive solutions for sustainable operations.

As a provider of your essential services, we will also be updating you on:

• Our new ICT solution to support major customer property and revenue functions
• Digital city and smart metering
• Tariff reform update

Exhibitors will also be on-site providing the opportunity to interact with key personnel in the following areas:

• Trade waste
• Scientific laboratory services
• Waste and recycling initiatives and services
• Recycled water expansion network

Places are limited. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about new changes and what this will mean for your business.

RSVP now to secure your seats.

Date: 12 September 2018

Time: 7.30am doors open 8.00am breakfast/presentations

Where: Southport Golf Club, Slatyer Avenue, Southport.

RSVP: 3 September 2018 wwbusiness@goldcoast.qld.gov.au or call 07 5582 8122

On 28 August 2018, Council endorsed the withdrawal of Temporary Local Planning Instrument No.5 (Minimum Land Above Designated Flood Level and Residential Risk Reduction) 2017 and the preparation and submission of Temporary Local Planning Instrument No.6 (Development in the Guragunbah flood plain area) 2018.

The proposed TLPI No.6 will now be submitted to the Minister for State Development, Infrastructure, Manufacturing and Planning for approval.

City of Gold Coast has also sought approval for a commencement date of 28 August 2018. If approved by the Minister, Council will need to resolve to adopt TLPI No.6 to bring it into effect.

TLPI No.6 seeks to prevent the potential loss of the city’s flood resilience and enable the sustainable mitigation of flood hazard on flood prone land in the Guragunbah flood plain area.

TLPI No.6 will amend the operation of the Flood overlay code to ensure development in the Guragunbah flood plain area is not exposed to high to extreme flood hazard unless it is specified as suitable.

The Guragunbah flood plain is recognised as the largest urban flood plain in Australia. It is a unique natural asset recognised for providing significant open space and habitat of state and local significance.

Council has endorsed the adoption of Major Update 1 and 1B to the City Plan, which will commence on 20 September 2018 as part of City Plan Version 6. One of the significant updates includes changes to flood overlay maps and the Designated Flood Level (DFL). For example, in some areas of the City, this will result in some properties requiring a significant increase to the height of habitable floor levels for new development. Other properties that were not previously impacted by flood, may now be impacted.

The following advisory notes are provided to assist applicants who have development applications lodged with Council, or are intending to lodge applications with Council, leading up to the commencement of City Plan Version 6:

• Applications currently lodged with Council that can be decided, or will reach the decision stage, prior to City Plan Version 6
  
  In most circumstances, Council Officers will not have regard to City Plan Version 6 for applications that can be resolved, or are in decision stage, prior to the commencement of City Plan Version 6.
  
  
• Applications that are lodged with Council prior to the commencement of City Plan Version 6 that have not reached the decision stage
  
  For applications that reach decision stage after commencement of City Plan Version 6, regard will be given to City Plan Version 6. In particular, there is a strong likelihood that officers will request applicants to fully respond to the new flood overlay maps and DFL.
  
  Our objective is to ensure applicants are fully aware of this position as we wish to avoid an applicant from having to provide an assessment under City Plan Version 5 and then having to provide a further assessment under City Plan Version 6. We also want to avoid applicants from having to carry out a potential redesign of an application and the significant frustrations this will cause.
  
  
• Applications lodged with Council after the commencement of City Plan Version 6
  
  These applications will be assessed and decided under City Plan Version 6.
  
  An applicant is entitled to lodge a request for a Superseded Planning Scheme (SPS) for their application to be assessed and decided under City Plan Version 5. However, there is no certainty that such a request will be supported. Enhancing and maintaining resilience to flood hazard is of paramount importance to the City, and therefore it is unlikely that Officers will support an SPS application that is seeking to utilise the superseded flood overlay maps and DFL under City Plan Version 5.

Managing the transition from City Plan Version 5 to City Plan Version 6

It is imperative that strong communication occurs between applicants and officers relating to required information in order for a full assessment to be made and the critical dates the information must be submitted by. Applicants are encouraged to contact the assessing officers as soon as possible. Likewise, Council’s assessing officers will endeavour to contact affected applicants in the coming weeks.

We appreciate that applicants may attempt to have their applications resolved prior to the commencement of City Version 6, or at least to ensure the application reaches the Decision Stage prior to the commencement of City Plan Version 6. Officers will act as reasonably as possible to ensure applications are not unnecessarily held up during this transitional period. However, we strongly discourage the submission of unsatisfactory information simply to progress the application to the decision stage. Such information may result in applications being decided unfavourably. Officers would rather work with an applicant as soon as possible in an attempt to resolve issues prior to the commencement of City Plan Version 6.