Urban areas score 100 hectares of new parkland

Published 16 December 2021

Moreton Bay is rewriting the planning rules so to deliver more greenspaces, transport and stormwater infrastructure across the region.

The decision to amend Council’s Local Government Infrastructure Plan will see more than 100 hectares of new parkland created in growing urban areas like Griffin and Burpengary.

Mayor Peter Flannery said the unanimous endorsement by Council was a high point to end the last Council meeting of 2021, and flagged a major green shift in 2022.

“This is a massive change that will see the equivalent of 140 football fields dedicated as new parks, playgrounds and open space for locals,” he said.

“Everywhere I go people tell me they want Council doing more to protect our local environment and so that’s exactly what we’re doing.

“This Council doesn’t just listen we act, and this is our strongest course of action yet to deliver more parks for local families and also those families that will move here in the future.

Mayor Flannery said in all, the amended infrastructure plan would make sure there was not only appropriate open space, but also transport and stormwater infrastructure in the prioritised infrastructure areas -  areas already experiencing growth like Griffin, Burpengary and Redcliffe - and complemented proper planning being done for other growth areas across the region.

“The amended infrastructure plan is an extensive body of work done by council’s planning and infrastructure experts to make sure that we take charge of what our community wants and needs.

“It will make sure we also have additional stormwater infrastructure in place to manage a projected 2,800 hectares of new roofs, roads, and driveways expected to be built in these areas.

“It’s a proper framework that spells out to our community, planners and prospective developers just what it is our region expects and will need as it grows.

“These amendments will replace older plans and means our infrastructure outlook is up-to-date and reflects the projected growth and planning required for our region as well as the standards of service and trunk infrastructure network planning.

Following the announcement, infrastructure planners will now conduct further detailed planning to identify the specific parcels of land which will be earmarked for future infrastructure.

“It’s the type of work that builds on council’s infrastructure investment and calls on the other levels of government to deliver the infrastructure for our growing region, like schools for Caboolture west and properly-planned and built second Bruce Highway.

“With our population expected to be bigger than Tasmania’s over the next decade, council is doing the work now to make sure that our communities are properly planned, that we protect our environment and that young families can buy a home.

ENDS