30 June 2014
The Brisbane City Plan 2014 which commences on 30 June contains many lessons that could be applied to the long delayed Sydney Metropolitan Strategy, says the Urban Taskforce.
“ The recently approved Brisbane City Plan continues the structure set through the 2006 CityShape process that involved over 60,000 people and led to support for a multi centred city with elements of a corridor city to accommodate future growth,” says Urban Taskforce CEO, Chris Johnson. “Over two thirds of those involved in the original planning supported development around transport nodes so that suburban areas were kept intact.”
“ The 2014 plan responds to increasing population growth by focussing new development in the city centre, the inner city, around employment hubs, major shopping centres, around transport hubs and along nine growth corridors with rapid transport routes.”
“The new Brisbane City Plan allows for more code assessment to reduce planning time frames which the planning reforms proposed for NSW. Clearly Sydney and NSW will be left behind if Brisbane has a simpler planning system that encourages development. Only a month ago Plan Melbourne was released by the Victorian Government which also included code assessable approaches to encourage new development.”
“ The Brisbane City Plan 2014 includes an interactive mapping service that gives consumers simple ways to understand the planning constraints on any site.”
“ A few weeks ago Gold Coast City Council released its new city plan which went even further in support of future growth. Many areas are proposed to have unrestricted heights and density particularly along light rail and public transport corridors.
“ The recent activity in city plans from Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast demonstrate the drive these cities are undertaking to encourage growth within their cities. Sydney’s Metropolitan Strategy which began as a discussion paper in May 2012 seems to have become a victim of the failed NSW planning reforms and unfortunately this is making the cities of Melbourne and Brisbane appear to be better organised to accommodate growth.”
“The Urban Taskforce urges the NSW Government to catch up to Victoria and Queensland by finalising the Sydney Metropolitan Strategy so that this gives a framework for the proposed Greater Sydney Commission to operate within.”