Report details key issues with planning for monster Caboolture West development

Plans for thousands of homes have been lodged but council has to solve some major issues before the satellite city can progress.

It is expected to become home to more than 69,000 residents but council has some major issues to solve before the Caboolture West project can proceed any further.

A report by Ethos Urban, which is expected to be adopted by Moreton Bay Regional Council on Wednesday, identified several key issues that need to be addressed such as infrastructure funding, water and sewerage connection issues and transport planning.

Councillors will be asked to consider on Wednesday, if council should make an amendment to the MBRC Planning Scheme for the Neighbourhood Development Plan No. 1 (NDP1) of the Caboolture West Local Plan.

The Caboolture West master planned area was first declared by council and the state government in 2012.

But a refusal of a major planning scheme amendment meant planning was put on hold in 2018.

Now with multiple developers lodging applications to transform the rural blocks into estates with thousands of homes council is looking to restart the land use and infrastructure planning for Caboolture West, in particular the Neighbourhood Development Plan for Area 1.

The new hub is about 5km west of Caboolture and Morayfield, bounded by the D’Aguilar Hwy to the north, Caboolture River Rd to the south and low hills to the west of Old North Rd.

Once complete it is proposed to feature 27,000 homes, a town centre, six retail centres, a TAFE, private hospital, three high schools and nine primary schools.

It will not pop up overnight though with Moreton Bay Regional Council predicting the $9.5 billion development will take 40 years to be fully developed.

The Outline Plan prepared by Ethos Urban has considered key matters such as land use, infrastructure delivery, funding, engagement and governance to find the best way to progress development in the growth area.

Issues including how council plans to fund the infrastructure, state transport infrastructure planning and the need for a streamlined planning scheme amendment were listed as the top priorities council needed to address.

Plans to mitigate flood impacts, improve water access, protect wildlife were highlighted as other issues to be considered.

The report also recommended updating the outdated employment assumptions, rebranding and providing a vision for Caboolture West and revisiting the proposed locations of social infrastructure.