Douglas Shire Land Use/Planning
DOUGLAS SHIRE PLANNING SCHEME
The 2018 Douglas Shire Planning Scheme includes a “residential investigation area” on the western side of the Captain Cook Hwy at Craiglie. The primary motivation for inclusion of this investigation area by the previous Council was to provide for the opportunity to respond to rising sea levels as a consequence of the impacts of climate change. That is, it would provide opportunity, should the need be demonstrated in the future for existing residential areas to “retreat” from vulnerable coastal areas in Port Douglas to “higher ground” at Craiglie.
An extract of a map from the planning scheme hereunder shows the extent of the investigation area:
https://douglas.qld.gov.au/download/planning-scheme/SFM-002-Strategic-Framework-Map-2.pdf
The area has been nominated as an “investigation area” to facilitate exactly that. An investigation would need to precede any proposal to rezone the land to residential in order to facilitate development of the area for that purpose. Any investigation would need to clearly demonstrate the “need” for the rezoning, be it to facilitate a response to climate change or any other “need”.
Rezoning the land would constitute a major amendment to the scheme.
Undertaking major amendments to a Planning Scheme is a significant undertaking by Council and involves extensive consultation with the community, Department of State Development, Manufacturing Infrastructure & Planning along with other State Government Agencies.
The following highlights the steps involved which includes public consultation:
https://dsdmipprd.blob.core.windows.net/general/mgr-major-amendment-flowchart.pdf
This is the minimal public consultation that must be undertaken. Council can undertake separate and additional consultation to identify community issues.
One of the largest parts of the planning work is undertaking background research and supporting documentation associated with the preparation of the scheme amendment to ensure the proposed outcomes are qualified in planning terms. These studies normally include economic and needs analysis, availability and costs of infrastructure (water supply and sewerage treatment plants etc.), transportation analysis, social studies etc.
A significant change would also require a review of the Local Government Infrastructure Plan (LGIP).
The Council operational plan for 2020/21 has the following inclusion in it: “ Engage with key stakeholders including building certifiers, planning consultants and surveyors on identifying areas for improvement within the current Planning Scheme”
Hereunder is a link to submissions made to the Council as part of the planning scheme review undertaken during 2016 to 2018 which culminated in the current 2018 scheme. It contains some useful commentary from the Council’s planners in response to submissions to rezone land at Craiglie for the purposes of a retirement village and the conditions they considered would have to be met for the Council to legitimately consider rezoning the area to facilitate that kind of development:
Related reading
https://douglasnews.network/2020/07/07/douglas-shire-planning-limits-to-urban-growth/