News & Publications

$160m Gold Coast roads investment a welcome move

The UDIA (Qld) Gold Coast Logan Branch welcomes the State Government announcement it will invest $160 million into roads infrastructure on the Gold Coast in in the lead-up to the 2018 Commonwealth Games.  Increased investment in infrastructure such as this is essential to facilitating development, creating jobs and improving the quality of life of residents.

Encouraging this investment was a key element of the UDIA (Qld) Advocacy Agenda and 2015/16 Budget submission and has been a top priority for the UDIA (Qld) Gold Coast Logan Branch.  The Gold Coast is forecast to have one of the highest population growth rates of any Queensland city over the next 30 years.

Read on to find out more about the proposed road upgrades.

Appeal Reduction Strategy Adopted by Mackay Regional Council

A successful collaboration between the UDIA (Qld) Mackay Whitsunday Branch and Mackay Regional Council has resulted in Council adopting an Appeal Reduction Strategy and Policy.

Development application court appeals are costly to Council, the development industry, and ultimately the community, in monetary terms as well as lost time and opportunities.

The UDIA (Qld) believes this new strategy will lead to more consistent policies, procedures and processes. Its establishment will have a positive impact on the Mackay development industry and facilitate the supply of more diverse and affordable housing.

Read on to access the strategy document.

Federal Government’s new NBN policy announced – what does it mean for developers?

The Government has released its new policy for the provision of telecommunications in new developments and it will see a number of changes that affect the development industry. 

The most significant of these changes is that the NBN will no longer provide network infrastructure at no cost, and will instead begin charging for network deployment, connections and backhaul.

These charges will only apply where developers use NBN as their network provider, with other providers continuing to offer services on their own commercial terms. 

To find out what these new charges will look like and view the key elements of the new policy, click to read more.

Industry Insights Report – Now available exclusively to members

Our latest industry health check – the Industry Insights Report, powered by The National Property Research Co. – throws the spotlight on market conditions, sales results and the outlook for Queensland’s development industry.

The Report delivers a localised analysis of development potential across 15 Queensland regions and reveals opportunities across the state with numerous regions showing growth or anticipating improved conditions in the future.

Access the latest Industry Insights.

Inform State Government’s infrastructure plan

The UDIA (Qld) is offering members the opportunity to provide feedback on the recently released Queensland Government directions paper – Delivering an Infrastructure Plan for Queensland.

The paper confirms the State Government’s commitment to releasing a State Infrastructure Plan (SIP) in early 2016. The plan is set to include a pipeline of priority projects identified by the independent analysis of Building Queensland, a newly formed statutory infrastructure body.

The State Government is now seeking feedback on its Directions Paper and the UDIA (Qld) is putting together a submission on behalf of our members. As always, we seek to reflect the views of our membership and we encourage you to contribute to our submission. Please contact Duncan Maclaine at dmaclaine@udiaqld.com.au or on 07 3233 2727 by 1 July 2015 to share your views.

Still curious? To find out more about the Directions Paper and what it means for our industry, read on.

Planning Bills – Have your say

On Thursday 2 July, a Planning Reform Workshop hosted by the Queensland Government will take place in Brisbane to inform the industry and seek feedback on the direction of the Queensland Government’s new Planning Bills.

Stakeholders, including local government and industry are all welcome at these sessions. The UDIA (Qld) strongly urges our members’ attendance to ensure the industry perspective is heard.

Hosted by regional offices of the Department of Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning, these workshops will also be run across Queensland.

Interested? Read on, for details of the Brisbane workshop and learn more about the importance of the government’s recently released Directions Paper.  Members outside of Brisbane can find details of workshops in their local areas on our website. 

Bundaberg Regional Council takes industry response to new Planning Scheme on board

The UDIA (Qld) Bundaberg Branch has received a formal response from the Bundaberg Regional Council about its recent submission on the proposed new Bundaberg Region Planning Scheme.

The Institute considers the proposed Scheme to be a critical determinant of the future health of the Bundaberg development industry and, more importantly, the ability of the industry to provide strong communities, affordable housing, employment and recreation opportunities in the region.

Fraser Coast Regional Council seeking urgent feedback on Planning Scheme

Fraser Coast members are being urged to respond to a request from Fraser Coast Regional Council for feedback on its 2014 Planning Scheme.

Council is seeking to identify how well the scheme is working, opportunities for improvement, and if it’s delivering good development outcomes for the region.

Feedback is required by Monday 15 June.

Have your say at a State Planning Reform Workshop (1)

The regional offices of the Department of Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning (DILGP) are running workshops across Queensland to discuss and receive feedback on the key directions of the Government’s recently released the Directions Paper, Better Planning for Queensland: Next Steps in Planning Reform. Community groups and members, local government and industry are all welcome at these sessions. We strongly urge you to attend to ensure an industry perspective is heard.

Details of the sessions to be held nearest to Gladstone are as follows -

Have your say at a State Planning Reform Workshop in Brisbane on 2 July

In a recent member alert, we brought to your attention that the Queensland Government had decided that it will proceed with planning reforms and introduce a package of new Planning Bills into Parliament by October 2015.