City of Gold Coast Planning and Development Hub

We are working through a range of measures to maintain our level of service while protecting the health and well-being of our staff, customers and community.

Our City Development Branch is continuing with the assessment of applications, sealing of survey plans, contributed assets inspections and development compliance matters. However, we are temporarily changing the way we interact with our customers.

We will no longer be holding face-to-face meetings for pre-lodgements or other meetings associated with development applications. Instead, our assessment officers will be available by teleconferencing, email and phone.

For on-site inspections, the following procedures are now in place to ensure the health and safety of officers:

• City Officers will call prior to attending a site inspection.
• City Officers will undertake site inspections alone. Once the site inspection is complete, the Officer will call you to discuss.
• If you believe it is essential to be on-site during an inspection, please discuss with the City Officer. This will not be guaranteed and will be assessed on an individual basis. If a site representative is permitted to be on-site, it will be limited to one site representative only.

These arrangements may change without notice as the COVID-19 situation develops. We appreciate your understanding as we work through the situation we are all in.

We are here to support you. Please contact our team on 5582 8184 if you have any questions.

We understand that the COVID-19 virus has created uncertainty and new challenges for our community. In response to the evolving situation, I want you to feel assured that we're taking steps to minimise the impact and protect the health and wellbeing of our community, as well as ensuring we are supporting your business where we can.

To assist our supermarkets to keep their stores and shelves well stocked, I can confirm that our City will not be taking development compliance or enforcement action in relation to deliveries outside of normal operating hours.

The extent of this exemption is limited to the activities directly associated with the delivery and unloading of goods for supermarkets. At this stage, this position will be in effect until 1 May 2020. The City will monitor the situation and further consideration will be given as to whether this time frame will be extended. This will be communicated to you all prior to 1 May 2020.

There is an expectation that supermarkets and delivery operators will take all reasonable measures to reduce amenity impacts on any nearby residential properties during this time.

I also understand the State Government is working on measures in relation to this matter and this will be communicated as it becomes available.

Our team is here to support you. If you have any questions in relation to this matter, please contact our team on 5582 8184.

Take care,

Alisha

Alisha Swain

Director - Economy, Planning and Environment - City of Gold Coast

The State Government has increased protection for koalas in South East Queensland with amendments to the planning framework including Development Assessment (DA Form 1), Environmental Offsets Regulation 2014, Nature Conservation (Koala) Conservation Plan 2017, Planning Regulation 2017 and Vegetation Management Regulation 2012.

Links to more information:
• amended regulations
• new regulatory framework
• property-scale koala habitat maps (by requesting a free vegetation management report)
• koala habitat mapping

Due to inclement weather, we have rescheduled the Chirn Park Talk to a planner session to:

Date: 9am - 12pm Saturday 1 February

Location: Cnr of Chirn Cres and Turpin Rd, Chirn Park

For a more information on Our City Our Plan information sessions, visit gchaveyoursay.com.au/ourcityourplan

To enhance the city’s resilience to natural hazards, we are proposing updates to the landslide hazard overlay map in the City Plan.

The new mapping uses higher resolution photography and topography, providing a more accurate representation of landslide risk.

The proposed mapping update will go to full Council on Thursday 30 January for consideration before being submitted to the State Government for consideration and assessment. The draft mapping and information will be made available via the City's website in the coming weeks.

We recently asked for your feedback on Our City Our Plan to help shape the future of the Gold Coast.

We received 1203 submissions, totalling 14,399 points, during the consultation period from 27 September – 11 November 2019.

We have assessed submissions and are proposing significantly different changes to 11 of the 34 items.

These changes are in relation to:

· Items 1&2 - Building height overlay map and new building height categories

· Item 3 - New Low-medium density residential zone

· Item 9 - Built form improvements

· Item 11 - Existing Light rail urban renewal area overlay map

· Item 14 -Driveways and vehicle crossings update

· Item 15 - Targeted growth areas

· Item 16 - Urban expansion: Upper Coomera Investigation area

· Item 20 - Neighbourhood centre improvements

· Item 22 - Environmental mapping

· Item 23 - Rural and Rural residential landscape and environment precinct

· Item 26 - Community infrastructure – interface areas

Consultation runs until 12 February 2020.

For more information visit: gchaveyoursay.com.au/ourcityourplan

It has been a year since the new Pre-lodgement meeting serviced has commenced. In this time we have conducted 285 Pre-lodgement meetings.

For those of you whom regularly use this service, you will be familiar with our dedicated Technical Pre-lodgement Meeting officer – Amanda Antcliff.

Throughout the past year Amanda has worked with applicants and the City’s officers to ensure the information provided for a Pre-lodgement meeting is a high standard, to enable our officers to provide structured and considered responses. Amanda will continue to work with you all to maintain this consistent standard.

The purpose of the Pre-lodgement meeting is to provide applicants and our officers an opportunity to discuss the issues identified within the applicants agenda questions. As a reminder, well-structured agenda questions give our officers better direction in considering your request, resulting in more accurate discussions and advice. If needed, download the guide to structuring agenda questions to give you an understanding on the City’s expectations in this space.

Our officers understand proposals at the pre-lodgement stage are generally preliminary and likely to continue to change as the proposal advances, in particular after the pre-lodgement request is submitted and before the meeting. Every effort will be made to accommodate changes; however, it is advisable to submit all your material with your application request. Officers do need suitable time to sufficiently review and provide informed comments. In some instances, meetings may have to be re-arranged to accommodate sufficient time for further review.

Meeting minutes create an official record capturing all relevant points of discussion and actions taken within the meeting. The content of the live minutes is agreed to by all stakeholders at the meeting, and any additional items raised are investigated and actioned as soon as possible. The introduction of live meeting minutes has proven very beneficial to all stakeholders and we are receiving positive feedback on this.

It is also pleasing to see most of the development industry utilising the dedicated section within the meeting minutes for applicants to provide a response on how they have addressed items detailed within the meeting minutes. We will continue to encourage this practice to include a response as part of your development application submission.

What’s New?

Council’s online application system now has the option to pay now or pay later (invoice issued) for the Pre-lodgement meetings.

Applicants have two ways to lodge a pre-lodgement meeting request:

Email: Applications are accepted via email to townplanningmeeting@goldcoast.qld.gov.au (External link) and should contain the City’s Pre-lodgement Meeting application form, drawings, plans and any supporting documents required. This option is available for applicants who wish to receive an invoice from the City for payment of their application fees to be made later and not immediately at the time of lodgement of the request. Payment of fees needs to occur before the pre-lodgement meeting is scheduled.

E-Services: City’s online application form. All documents can be submitted directly to the City via an online portal. As mentioned above this service now contains a pay now or pay later option.

We are seeking your feedback

The Pre-lodgement team welcomes and appreciates feedback from all stakeholders. Your feedback will ensure Pre-lodgement meetings continue to add value to the development assessment process.

If you have any questions regarding the Pre-lodgement meeting service please contact either Amanda Antcliff on telephone 07 55828956 or Di Kling on telephone 07 5582 8415.

We recently asked for your feedback on Our City Our Plan to help shape the future of the Gold Coast.

We received 1203 submissions, totalling 14,399 points, during the consultation period from 27 September – 11 November 2019.

We have assessed submissions and are proposing further changes through a second round of consultation.

Council has endorsed the significantly different changes that aim to balance feedback received with the need to responsible manage and plan for growth.

Consultation will run until 12 February 2020.

For more information visit: gchaveyoursay.com.au/ourcityourplan

Councillors at a Special Council meeting today resolved to postpone the ‘Town Hall’ meeting in the Southern Gold Coast planned for 10am on Sunday 15 December at Currumbin RSL.

The decision was made to ensure Cr Daphne McDonald could be in attendance alongside Cr Gail O’Neill.

The City remains committed to holding this event; however, due to the Christmas period, it will be rescheduled to a suitable time during the second round of consultation in January 2020. The meeting will be scheduled to allow enough time for residents to make a submission on the significantly different changes following the meeting.

For more information visit: gchaveyoursay.com.au/ourcityourplan

We will be holding two community information sessions about how we're responding to the community's feedback from the initial round of public consultation for Our City Our Plan.

These sessions will be in addition to the talk-to-a-planner sessions planned as part of the second round of public consultation in early 2020.

Event details:

• Labrador Senior Citizens Club, 370 Marine Parade - Monday 16 December, 6pm - 8pm