Livingstone planning scheme outdated and a “deterrent” to reasonable development

Escalating demand for rural housing blocks was one of the driving factors behind a Central Qld council’s decision to override its planning scheme to approve the cutting up of a 12ha property.

The location of the land to be subdivided on Woodbury Road north of Yeppoon.

Escalating demand for rural housing blocks was one of the driving factors behind Livingstone Shire Council’s decision to override its planning scheme to approve the cutting up of a 12ha property on Woodbury Road.

The application was for reconfiguring the rural block into three pieces being one 10ha lot and two lots of .81ha.

The current minimum lot size for the Rural Zone, Capricorn Coast Rural Precinct of the Livingstone Planning Scheme 2018 is 10ha and Deputy Mayor Pat Eastwood said the plan needed to be urgently reviewed as it was clearly outdated and a deterrent to reasonable development.

“You’ve got a block there with a covenant for agriculture on it that’s a deterrent to us going ahead, allowing these blocks to be cut up,” he said.

”I do feel sorry for our (council) officers who have to go by the planning scheme rules and knock these (application’s back) when they probably know they’re going ahead and allowing them to be cut up.”

The land use of the property to be subdivided into three lots on Woodbury Road north of Yeppoon. The green area shows the agriculture use class.

He said it was apparent planning scheme changes were needed to allow responsible development to go ahead.

Cr Wade Rothery agreed, saying councillors were routinely approving lot subdivisions against officers’ recommendations.

Cr Andrea Friend said the Woodbury Road application was typical of the many “mum and dad developments” occurring across the region.

“I believe at the last meeting there was one very similar,” she said.

“People are in desperate needs of housing with minimum impact on transport. It’s not a development of 150 lots, it’s a development of two lots.

“We have proven today that bushfire overlay can (also) be mitigated through conditions and there is plenty of access to these lots as well.”

The road use classification of the area where the Woodbury Road property is located north of Yeppoon.

The Woodbury Road proposal was the subject of public notification between 25 November 25 and December 13 with five submissions received from nearby residents who did not support the development.

The objections included traffic concerns and the smaller blocks however these concerns were countered by a submission from Gideon Town Planning representative who pointed out that the area was strewn with similar sized properties.

“In the direct vicinity there are several lots that are significantly smaller than the prescribed lot size for the rural zone and what we're doing is proposing two additional lots in that location basically being flanked by existing smaller lots,” he said.

“It might not be consistent with the minimum lot size but it is consistent with that existing lot land form in that area.”

Council officers rejected traffic concerns saying two additional lots was considered insignificant.

Officers said onsite water requirements will be in accordance with the planning scheme requirements for dwelling house and firefighting capacity per lot.

There will be onsite sewer requirements for future dwellings.