City of Gold Coast Planning and Development Hub

Welcome to the City of Gold Coast Planning and Development Hub - an online communication and engagement tool created to provide a secure location to give you access to information on matters relating to planning, building and development, such as:

  • practice notes
  • training videos
  • presentations
  • news.
To stay up to date on planning and development matters, sign up to our Planning and Development alerts.


Welcome to the City of Gold Coast Planning and Development Hub - an online communication and engagement tool created to provide a secure location to give you access to information on matters relating to planning, building and development, such as:

  • practice notes
  • training videos
  • presentations
  • news.
To stay up to date on planning and development matters, sign up to our Planning and Development alerts.


  • City Building Seminar: Global Approaches to Planning for Housing Diversity and Affordability

    Presented by Martin Garred, Director | Town Planner - Civity

    Following World War II, the Australian Dream shaped many of our cities and regions. The idea of a free-standing house on a quarter acre suburban block led to the extensive suburbanisation of our capital and regional cities through ever increasing urban sprawl.

    Ever since, across the country, we have adopted exclusionary zoning in our suburban areas that seeks to protect the ideology of the Australian Dream. Any mooted change to this highly protected suburban zoning often causes community uproar and political angst.

    It was this problem that inspired Martin’s travels to the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Denmark and Sweden in 2022, having been awarded a prestigious Churchill Fellowship. Focussed on land use approaches to assist in addressing housing affordability, Martin’s learnings provide global insights about how we can reshape the Australian Dream.

    Given the challenges in instigating bold change in planning systems, Martin will share case studies that present innovative policy solutions, ranging from removing single family zoning through to inclusionary zoning approaches.




    Martin Garred is a co-founding Director and Town Planner of Civity, a boutique town planning firm, specialising in providing strategic planning, government advisory and project services across Queensland. Having held executive roles in both State and Local Government within Australia, Martin is a respected advisor to government, particularly in the fields of strategic planning, growth management and housing policy.

    Martin is an Executive Committee Member of the Churchill Fellows Association of Queensland and is the Housing Working Group Lead of the PIA QLD Policy and Advocacy Committee.


    We invite you to attend...


    Event: Global Approaches to Planning for Housing Diversity and Affordability

    Date: Thursday 27 July 2023

    Venue: HOTA (Home of the Arts) - Lakeside room

    135 Bundall Road, Surfers Paradise 4217

    Time: 12pm - 1.30pm

    12.00pm Light refreshments

    12.30pm Presentation commences followed by Q&A

    1.30pm Close

    RSVP: citybuildingseminars@goldcoast.qld.gov.au


    Office of the Architecture and Heritage

    These seminars provide informal Continuing Professional Development (CPD) that will contribute one (1) point to the CPD requirements for RAIA, PIA, AILA and Engineers Australia members.

    Transmission of this email has been approved by the Director, Planning and Environment.

  • City Plan Version 10

    City Plan Version 10 commences today (4 July 2023) and incorporates six amendments:

    • Major Update 2 & 3 (in part)
    • Major Update to City Plan Policies (Schedule 6)
    • City Plan Major Amendment – Heritage overlay provisions
    • Local Government Infrastructure Plan Amendment
    • Minor and Administrative Amendment 9
    • Minor and Administrative Amendment to City Plan Policies (Schedule 6) Land development guidelines

    City Plan Version 10, as well as superseded and historic versions of City Plan, are available via ePlan - cityplan.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/eplan/

  • Major Update 2&3

    supporting image

    On 17 October 2022, the Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning and Minister Assisting the Premier on Olympic and Paralympic Games Infrastructure approved, in part, the Major Update 2 & 3 amendment package.

    The Minister approved 21 of the 34 items in the amendment, which commenced today as part of City Plan Version 10.

    Thirteen items were unable to be adopted as the Minister was unable to determine the extent to which some of these changes will impact housing supply.

    The 13 remaining items will be progressed as part of a new Amendment Strategy endorsed by Council in May 2023. Council’s desire to continue to advance these items is based on the Minister’s ongoing support for the policy underpinning them and their importance to the community and development industry.

    The new Amendment Strategy will deliver prioritised outcomes through smaller amendment packages sequenced to improve community understanding and be more focussed and streamlined.

    The first amendment introduces key foundational changes such as the new Low-medium density residential zone and a revised approach to measuring building height. This amendment is anticipated to go out for public consultation in August.

    Find out more about the Amendment Strategy and current City Plan amendments on the City’s website - cityofgoldcoast.com.au/cityplan

  • City Plan Major Amendment - Heritage overlay provisions

    The Heritage overlay provisions amendment commenced today as part of City Plan Version 10 and is the third major amendment to the City Plan. The amendment provides greater clarity on development requirements within and around Local heritage places, so that the Gold Coast’s places of cultural heritage significance are appropriately recognised and conserved into the future.

    This amendment revises the Strategic Framework element – cultural heritage, the Tables of assessment and the Heritage overlay code. It also introduces new assessment provisions for development involving demolition, partial demolition or removal of a Local heritage place, a new Exemption Certificate process and a new City Plan Policy - Heritage management.

    City Plan Version 10, as well as Superseded and Historic versions of City Plan, are available via ePlan - cityplan.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/eplan/

  • Changes to development application payments and pre-assessment checks

    supporting image

    We have implemented changes to the way we handle payments for development application fees, effective from 4 July 2023.

    Applications will only be considered received once the funds have cleared in accordance with section 51(1)(b) of the Planning Act 2016. Please note that certain payment types may take up to three (3) business days to clear.

    Failure to pay the notice of payment within 10 business days will result in the cancellation of the application.

    What does this mean for you?

    This means that, as stated in part 1.2 of the Development Assessment Rules (under section 68 of the Planning Act 2016), the day after the payment is receipted will be considered as Day 1 of the development application process.

    Why is the City making this change?

    This change is being implemented to align the City’s processes with the timelines outlined in the Planning Act 2016. It aims to provide clarity and transparency, eliminating any confusion regarding Day 1 of the application process.

    What happens once payment is received?

    The day after the payment has cleared, the City will commence the necessary properly made checks as part of the pre-assessment process. Once all properly made requirements have been met under section 51 of the Planning Act 2016, the assessment process will commence. If the properly made requirements have not been met, the City will issue an Action Notice to the applicant. Failure to respond to the Action Notice within 20 business days will result in the cancellation of the application.

  • Local Government Infrastructure Plan update

    supporting image

    The City of Gold Coast (City) is committed to planning and delivering trunk infrastructure to facilitate growth on the Gold Coast.

    In accordance with the Minister’s Guidelines and Rules Version 1.1, the City developed an amendment to the Local Government Infrastructure Plan (LGIP). In February 2023 the LGIP amendment received Ministerial approval to proceed to adoption. The amendment was adopted by Council on 23 May 2023 and commences 4 July 2023 as part of the City Plan Version 10.

    The LGIP amendment incorporates more recent development projections and planning assumptions, with updated trunk infrastructure network planning to service revised growth projections until 2041.

    For more information on the Local Government Infrastructure Plan, visit cityofgoldcoast.com.au/LGIP or email strategicinfrastructure@goldcoast.qld.gov.au

  • Flood and Bushfire Resilient Design Guidelines

    supporting image

    Resilience through design and development is a critical part of the City’s response to natural hazards.

    The City recently published two non-statutory guidelines to increase community awareness of flood and bushfire risks.

    The guidelines provide resources and resilient design options that can be considered in the design of new dwellings, as well as renovation and improvement ideas for existing dwellings.

    Effective resilient site planning and building design will better prepare communities and their properties to mitigate bushfire and flood risks and reduce potential property damage costs.


  • Changes to PD Online

    supporting image

    We have made changes to our PD Online platform to improve customer usability and accessibility to development application information through a single portal. The changes went live on 28 May and will provide additional cyber security through the decommissioning of the legacy portal.

    What does this mean to me?

    • The way you access applications previously held in the legacy portal has changed.
    • Viewing and searching documents relating to a development application has improved.

    Accessing development applications lodged before July 2017

    • Previously you would access the information via a legacy PD Online portal – this is no longer available and instead you will be redirected to the current PD Online.
    • You will now see two new enquiry lists in PD Online to access information and documentation on development applications lodged before July 2017.




    • There are no changes to the existing PD Online portal search function – you can search by application number, address, date, Lot on Plan or decision date.
    • Search tip: Only enter the “number component” of the application removing the “prefixed letters”. For example:
      COM/2018/80 searched as 2018/80 or 80
      MCU201701871 searched as 2017/1871 or 1871
    • Search tip: There is no change to the Building approvals search - additional historical building applications from 1934-1998 will be displayed via the PD Online portal.

    Viewing and searching

    As part of the changes, we will also be implementing a new look and increased functionality when viewing documentation relating to an application.

    New and improved functions:

    • Key word searching across all displayed document fields
    • Sorting capability (ascending and descending for each header column)
    • Ability to export a full (or filtered via keyword search) documentation list to a CSV file
    • Displayed “A” numbers provides a common reference for external users and internal staff
    • Additional document information including document type and size

    For help on how to use PD Online please contact Planning Enquiries Centre (07) 5582 8708.

  • Upcoming intake: Accreditation for standard water and sewer connections

    supporting image

    From 1 November 2021, only accredited contractors appointed by the City are able to perform standard connections.

    Registrations are now open – for the first intake of 2022.

    To ensure all interested contractors have sufficient time to register and undergo the required pre-assessment prior to standard connection training, please register your interest via Vendor Panel by Monday 16 May 2022.

    For those contractors who submitted their registration after 1 November 2021 – please review and amend any outstanding information in Vendor Panel.

    Once the City has reviewed your application, you will be notified via email that your registration has progressed and an invite will follow to attend standard connection training.

    For more information on the accreditation process please see the Standard connections accredited contractors webpage.

    Click here to register to become a WW Standard Connection Accredited Contractor.*

    *Please view the guide to navigating Vendor Panel.

  • Economy, Planning and Environment Directorate - Key Personnel

    supporting image

    Our team is committed to sustainably managing the growth and development of the Gold Coast.

    Across our City Development, City Planning and Office of Architecture and Heritage Branches, our experienced and dedicated officers are here to work with you.

    Check out our latest organisational chart to see a list of key personnel from these branches.

    For more on planning and building, visit our website or contact the Planning Enquiries Centre on 07 5582 8708.

Page last updated: 07 Feb 2024, 11:16 AM