In the hierarchy of planning instruments, the regional plan is at the top. The Integrated Planning Act 1997 (Qld) (IPA) secures the regional plan’s position, by providing that to the extent there is an inconsistency between a regional plan and any other plan, policy or code under an Act of a planning nature, including any other planning instrument, the regional plan prevails (Section 2.5A.21(c)).

Australia’s first statutory regional plan, the South East Queensland Regional Plan 2005-2026 (SEQRP) was released by Queensland in 2005. The SEQRP regulates a vast area of land, covering 22,420 km² from north of Noosa to Coolangatta in the south and to west of Toowoomba as shown in Map 1 - SEQ region. The department responsible for administering the SEQRP is the Department of Infrastructure and Planning (DIP).

The main purpose of the SEQRP is to plan for sustainable growth in South East Queensland (the region). The SEQRP must therefore deal with a variety of issues, including urban development; infrastructure and services; environment and biodiversity; and supporting the economy.

The SEQRP has imposed stringent guidelines on development in the region. For example urban development has been restricted to less than 20% of all available land.

Although the first formal review of the SEQRP was scheduled to be undertaken by July 2010, on 5 May 2008 Premier Anna Bligh announced that the updated SEQRP will be finalised and released in mid 2009. The revised SEQRP will provide the framework for sustainable growth in the region to the year 2031, which is an additional 5 years on the current plan.

The new timetable for the SEQRP has been introduced because of rapid growth in the region’s population. Premier Bligh has outlined that the current review will consider:

• the capacity of the existing Urban Footprint to accommodate growth to 2031;
• housing affordability;
• the need to diversify and decentralise employment opportunities to provide jobs closer to people’s residences;
• adapting to climate change;
• reducing traffic congestion; and
• supporting more diverse tourism and rural industries within the Regional Landscape and Rural Production area.

The DIP has also revealed plans to extend the boundary of the SEQRP to incorporate the growth areas around Toowoomba.

The DIP is currently seeking community feedback about the review and has released a pro-forma for nominating key issues. This form allows people to indicate the priority of a number of key issues as low, medium or high and to nominate any other key issues that have not been identified. If you would like a copy, the form is available from the DIP’s website, at  http://www.dip.qld.gov.au / regional-planning/review-2.html. The completed form must be submitted by Friday 6 June 2008.

The review being conducted on the SEQRP must be conducted in accordance with IPA, as IPA controls how a regional plan comes into being. The State Government must:

• prepare a draft regional plan for the region in consultation with the regional coordination committee;
• publicly advertise the draft regional plan;
•  allow public consultation for at least 60 business days;
• consider every properly made submission about the draft regional plan; and
• consult with the regional coordination committee about making the regional plan.

It is anticipated that the draft SEQRP will be released in December 2008 and available for public consultation between December 2008 and April 2009.

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