A MAJOR overhaul of Redland City’s planning scheme is set to move a step closer this week after council officers recommended significant changes following public consultation, including winding back proposed restrictions in the Raby Bay canal estate and abandoning a planned neighbourhood centre at Victoria Point.
Redland City Councillors will be asked on Wednesday to endorse revised residential and non-residential City Plan amendments before seeking the Planning Minister’s approval to formally adopt the changes.
The amendments follow a month-long public consultation process that attracted 42 submissions on the residential package and seven on the non-residential amendments.
While many submissions supported measures to improve housing diversity and modernise the planning scheme, the strongest community interest centred on proposed changes affecting the Raby Bay canal estate and a new neighbourhood centre precinct at Colburn Avenue, Victoria Point.
Residents and industry groups raised concerns that proposed changes in the canal estate could unnecessarily restrict development opportunities and affect property values, while others argued stronger controls were needed to protect the area’s unique waterfront character.
After reviewing the submissions, council officers recommended retaining the existing two-metre setback from revetment walls rather than increasing it to 2.5 metres as originally proposed.
Officers also recommended removing vessel length references from standard drawings after determining they had been included in error, while retaining new engineering requirements to protect revetment walls during future development.
The consultation also resulted in a major change for Victoria Point.
Council officers have recommended abandoning a proposed neighbourhood centre precinct at 312 Colburn Avenue after submissions questioned the planning justification and the need for additional commercial land.
Instead, the site would be zoned medium-density residential as part of the amendment package.
Beyond those changes, the amendments introduce a broad range of new planning provisions across the city.
The residential package updates planning rules covering rooming accommodation, secondary dwellings, dual occupancies, rear lots, home-based businesses, frontage widths, emerging community areas and canal estate development as part of implementing the Redland Housing Strategy 2024-2046.
The non-residential amendments include new planning provisions for self-contained camping sites on eligible rural and environmental management properties, recognising craft breweries within the planning scheme, updated driveway crossover and bicycle parking standards, revised flood immunity requirements for basements, healthy waters and waterway corridor provisions, and new rules for rear lot access and infrastructure design.
Under the proposed camping provisions, eligible rural properties could accommodate up to five self-contained recreational vehicle sites subject to strict conditions including maximum five-night stays, minimum setbacks from neighbouring homes and requirements for all waste and wastewater to be fully contained and disposed of at approved facilities.
Officers have also recommended greater flexibility for master planning in emerging community areas, introducing a clearer definition of net residential density and strengthening wastewater and general waste requirements for camping sites following State Government feedback relating to the Tingalpa Reservoir drinking water catchment.
The proposed amendments replace earlier City Plan changes first initiated in 2022 and 2023 after council resolved last year to withdraw those packages and prepare updated amendments reflecting the Redland Housing Strategy and other planning reforms.
If endorsed by councillors, the revised amendments will be forwarded to the Planning Minister for final approval.
Once the Minister’s decision is received, council will determine whether to formally adopt the changes into the Redland City Plan.
