Better Housing Amendment addresses key community issues
Published 07 August 2023
Moreton Bay’s Planning Scheme is being updated to better reflect our changing community - and we want your input!
Council has prepared an amendment package, known as the Better Housing Amendment, to address key issues raised by residents. This includes off-street parking shortages and the desire to retain green space.
The Better Housing Amendment proposes changes to five key areas to support better outcomes in our neighbourhoods:
- Next Generation Neighbourhoods
- Off-Street car parking
- Secondary dwellings
- Student accommodation
- Warner Investigation Area boundary reduction.
An accompanying Planning Scheme Policies Amendment includes separate changes to guidelines which are proposed to support the Better Housing Amendment, as well as to preserve the unique township characters of D’Aguilar, Dayboro, Samford Village, Wamuran and Woodford.
Mayor Peter Flannery said the State Government has considered the proposed changes but before they can be adopted into the planning scheme, the changes need to go to the public for consultation.
“A lot has changed in Moreton Bay since our current planning scheme was adopted in 2016. We now have a university precinct, our very own NRL team and we’re Australia’s newest city,” he said.
“Our population growth has consistently exceeded expectations year on year, and we now have a commitment to protect 75% of Moreton Bay’s landmass as greenspace.
“That means we need to think more strategically about how we accommodate for growth within better neighbourhoods, while containing our urban footprint to just 25% of Moreton Bay.
“A big part of that means updating our planning scheme to reflect the changing needs of our community as we continue to grow.
“We’re making changes to Next Generation Neighbourhoods to combat overdevelopment by prioritising green space and larger yards for residents.
“Off-Street Parking is a common concern for residents, so we’re addressing it by ensuring all new houses, units and townhouses will now need to provide sufficient parking to cater for both residents and visitors.
“Secondary Dwellings like granny flats will only be able to occur on blocks that are big enough to accommodate them so impacts on the privacy of neighbours can be managed.
“We’re setting density limits for Student Accommodation developments and adding requirements for more sufficient off-street parking for this type of development.
“And we’re delivering on our commitment to update the boundary of the Warner Investigation Area to protect the environmental values of the area, which were outlined as important by local residents.
“This is just a snapshot of the Better Housing Amendment Council has prepared, but you can view the full changes on the Your Say Moreton Bay website.
“Before we can get the amendment back to the State government for approval to adopt the proposed changes, we need your feedback to make sure we’re on the right track.
“So please make sure to leave your comments for consideration so we can build better housing and better neighbourhoods for everyone in Moreton Bay as we continue to grow.”