State Planning Policy: Coastal Protection
Last week’s blog post examined the Newman Government’s legislative
amendments to the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 (SPA).
The Qld Government
has demonstrated commitment to “fast tracking” the processing of development
applications.
State planning policies were planning instruments; under the
previous Government that former Minister Stirling Hinchliffe (or any minister
in conjunction with the planning minister) would make to protect things that
are of interest to the State.
When local councils were developing their local planning scheme, they were required to ensure that the planning
scheme reflects the elements outlined in a state planning policy. If there was a
discrepancy between a local planning scheme and a state planning policy, then
what was outlined in the state planning policy overrode the planning scheme.
The
Newman Government is now establishing a new approach to state planning policies. The
new approach means that one single state planning policy will be developed to
replace the various current state planning policies in existence.
One
of these policies being replaced is the State
Planning Policy 3/11: Coastal Protection (the SPP), which was one of the
last initiatives of the previous Bligh Government, prior to the State Election
in March 2012. It was the intention of
the previous Government to establish a Qld Coastal Plan as part of the the
state’s policies in relation to matters of state interest relating to coastal
protection.
The Newman
Government believes that the applications of the SPP policies are in conflict
with the Qld Government’s agenda to fast track development (and to grow the
four pillars of Queensland’s economy).
Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney said
that the World Wildlife Fund and the Wilderness Society were being deliberately
alarmist in their claims about changes to the Qld Coastal Plan.
A draft State
Planning Regulatory Provision (SPRP) was introduced by the Newman
Government in October 2012.
The Department of
State Development and Infrastructure Planning is working with the Department of
Environment and Heritage Protection and various stakeholders to review the
Queensland Coastal Plan. Mr Seeney said the draft SPRP would be in effect for 12
months while a new Single State Planning Policy was prepared.
“We gave a clear commitment in our Property and Construction Strategy during the election campaign that we would revisit the Bligh Government’s last minute changes to the coastal plan and that we would reform the entire planning regime in Queensland,” Mr Seeney said. He went on to say that: “Claims that the draft SPRP lowers environmental protections are nothing more than the usual baseless, sensational rantings of radical green groups which will do or say anything to further their aims.”
The
current situation for applications is as follows:
The State
Planning Regulatory Provision (SPRP) will apply to the assessment of development
applications and master plan applications that are properly made when this
Coastal Protection Draft State Planning Regulatory Provision (the Draft SPRP)
commences. The provisions set out in
this draft SPRP are based on the state coastal management plan policies that
were in place before the introduction of the State
Planning Policy 3/11: Coastal Protection (the SPP),. This draft SPRP will
apply while the full review of the Queensland Coastal Plan is undertaken.
The
final State Planning Policy will set out policies about matters of state
interest that are to be dealt with through the planning and development
assessment system.
The
Department of State Development and Infrastructure Planning are seeking feedback
in respect of the document entitled 'Draft
Proposed State Interests – Part 1 of the State Planning Policy' which is
currently released for consultation during November 2012.
The
consultation document is Part 1 in the development of the State Planning
Policy.
During
the current consultation phase one is invited to comment on the state interests
presented in the document and repeated in the feedback form.
The
draft State Planning Policy and associated supporting material needed to
implement the state interests will then be available for formal public
consultation starting in early 2013.
All
feedback received will be reviewed and directly inform the drafting of the new
State Planning Policy.
For
written and email submissions, please use the contact details and form listed
on the DSDIP website.
·
EPBC
By agreement through COAG, the Australian Federal Government
will hand back its powers to approve mining projects and developments that
affect matters of national environmental significance to state and territory
governments by March next year. These matters include threatened species and
World Heritage.
The Federal Government's plans have created so much alarm
that last week Sir David Attenborough and Dr Bob Brown joined 31 other
prominent naturalists in urging
the Prime Minister not
to undermine environment protection in Australia and delegate our responsibilities for the environment to
the states.
