Huge growth plan for Southside

A NEW activity centre, higher density urban development and new facilities including a primary school and community hall are part of the structure plan Gympie c

Council plan prepares area for growth in population of 7500 people over next decades. Picture: Contributed

A NEW activity centre, higher density urban development and new facilities including a primary school and community hall are part of the structure plan Gympie council has proposed for the development of Southside.

Under the draft plan, Southside development will allow for the creation of almost 3000 new dwellings, which would have the population grow by 7500 people in the next few decades.

Mayor Mick Curran said it was key to have a well-maintained strategy moving forward, and the plan falls within the council's current planning scheme which is designed to benefit the community in the years ahead.

"We should not just be governing for today, but planning well into the future," he said.

The proposed activity centre would be situated at the corner of Lindsay St and Australia Dr, which at present does not intersect as the roads don't join up.

The old 2013 Gympie regional planning scheme (left) and the new draft structure plan for Southside local development. Picture: Contributed

Alongside the centre, the plan also suggests a district sport and recreational facility, a primary school, community hall and meeting room, and a small supermarket or convenience store along with several specialty shops.

The plan also provides a more detailed view of residential development, with what is called residential living under the 2013 planning scheme now broken into future rural residential and future urban residential.

Future urban residential is further divided into lot sizes of between about 650sqm and 1000sqm, and the area within a 400m catchment of the activity centre is potentially available to developments of 500sqm in the future.

The residential development is planned to address Southside's expected demographic changes due to aging and a young workforce, which the plan says will no longer have their needs met by the traditional Gympie housing form of detached housing on large urban or rural lots.

Council is still seeking feedback from the public on the plan, a step which Cr Curran said is crucial to ensuring the best outcome for Gympie's future.

"The most important thing is to engage with the community," he said, highlighting that modifications can still be made where necessary. It's not set in concrete."

Submissions must be made in writing, and can be made at the session, by post marked for the attention of Planning Strategy & Major Projects, PO Box 155, Gympie, Qld, 4570, or by email at [e-mail]

All submissions are due by 5pm this Friday.

The draft structure plan will on display at Southside Shopping Centre today from 9am to 1pm.

No Caption. Picture: Contributed