The Queensland Government is planning to halt urban sprawl between the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and the Gold Coast by protecting
The Queensland Government is planning to halt urban sprawl between the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and the Gold Coast by protecting 85 percent of south east Queensland from urban development, with public transport support.
Infrastructure and Planning Minister Stirling Hinchliffe released the South East Queensland Regional Plan 2009-2031 yesterday (Tuesday, July 28), which outlines plans to infill development in areas with existing infrastructure and encourage development away from the coast and towards the Western corridor.
Hinchcliffe says the plan will redirect growth to existing urban areas while maintaining a supply of broadhectare land for development.
The plan supports integrated land use and transport planning, regional connectivity and greater levels of trip self-containment within sub-regions.
It calls for the development of interconnected rail and busway networks to provide dedicated passenger transport links across the region’s major urban areas.
New public transport routes, facilities and high frequency services, including priority transit corridors, would need to be developed to ensure safe and convenient passenger accessibility, and support the interrelationship between land use and transport, the plan says.
It also calls for the alignment of transport plans, policies and implementation programs at regional and local levels, across all modes.
The region’s population is expected to increase to 4.4 million by 2031. An estimated 754,000 new dwellings are expected to be built.
Brisbane is expected to take 21 percent of the new dwellings, which equates to 156,000 homes.
The Gold Coast will absorb 19 percent (143,000), Ipswich 16 percent (118,000), the Sunshine Coast 13 percent (98,000), Moreton Bay 11 percent (84,000) and Logan 9 percent (70,000).