Toowoomba Regional Council today (June 23, 2022) endorsed a raft of residential development assistance measures to help the development industry release more housing to the market.
TRC Planning and Development Committee chair Cr Megan O’Hara Sullivan said Senior TRC planning officers consulted with their state government counterparts and other development industry people to devise a range of measures and other policies to enable developers to offer greater housing choice across the Region.
Cr O’Hara Sullivan said Council had listened to community concerns and devised the following measures, including:
• A Temporary Local Planning Instrument, subject to State Government approval, to streamline development in Emerging Community Zoned land, (in accordance with provisions consistent with the Low density residential zone). This is expected to return for Council’s consideration in August,
• Reducing Operational works fees to 50% of the approved fee schedule for a period not exceeding 12 months from June 2022,
• An incentives policy, that in principle, reduces the infrastructure charges normally applicable to a medium density development by 70% for new approvals, 40% for existing development approvals and 30% for duplex dwellings, for a period not exceeding 24 months from June 2022, and a $3.5 million foregone infrastructure charges cap to ensure that the cost of the scheme is contained, and
• A pumped stormwater system to provide an alternate stormwater solution for sites in the Low-Medium Density Zone that slope away from the street, making them more feasible for redevelopment.
