Posted by: Dale Ellerman
On 25 November the Queensland Government introduced its new planning bill into Parliament – the Planning and Development Bill 2014. This was accompanied by two further bills one of which will establish the Planning and Environment Court under its own dedicated enactment. The changes that these proposed new laws will bring about will be the most significant to have occurred since the coming into effect of the Integrated Planning Act in 1998. Understanding the intended effect and operation of the legislation is relevant to arriving at the right development strategy, options and choices for any proposal. The stated aim of the new planning act is to "facilitate prosperity" and this aim manifests itself in changes in approach to many facets of the law and practices to which we have all become accustomed over the last 16 years. This is the start of a new learning curve for all developers and planning professionals not to mention Councils and the judiciary. The journey begins.
