2017-04-11 Planning & Environment Committee Agenda

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA   11 APRIL 2017




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PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                                      11 APRIL 2017

   2016 - Resolution 027 - Planning Powers - Local Government Infrastructure Plans - Amend, Simplify a...                  Page 4 of 5
   unnecessary and irrelevant requirements costing Local Governments and their communities’ unnecessary
   expense.

   If the unnecessary requirements were removed, it would:
   greatly reduce the amount of time, resources, effort and costs to local government;
   enable concentration on detailing the future infrastructure requirements and costs necessary in
   providing infrastructure for development growth;
   have absolutely no impact on the purpose of a LGIP as described in sections 2.2 to 2.4 of the Statutory
   Guideline 03/04 since this all relates to future infrastructure costs required for future development;
   have no impact for the Development Industry since the legislation has set the permissible maximum
   charges, enabled establishment costs for future works for offsets to be revalued by development and
   enabled conversion applications of non-trunk infrastructure to become trunk infrastructure that is not
   currently in a LGIP; and
   drastically speed up the ability for local governments to actually achieve LGIPs thereby promoting the
   State Government's desired direction for planning reform and not “at the expense of community
   participation or the role of local government” per the Deputy Premier’s statement May 2015 contained
   on the department's website.
   LGAQ Comment

   The current LGAQ Policy Statement includes:

   6.1.2.3  Local government supports the implementation of a permanent infrastructure funding framework that
   does not further shift the cost burden onto councils and the community.

   6.1.2.4  Local government supports the use of an adopted infrastructure charge option given the simplicity,
   legal clarity, and certainty provided by such a framework. Local government opposes the use of an adopted
   infrastructure charge option where a maximum charge is imposed unless supported and offset by State
   Government subsidies for essential development infrastructure.”

   This policy supports item a) of the above stated motion such that the resourcing and effort required to undertake
   local government infrastructure planning must be commensurate with the value of the infrastructure funding
   available to councils. In other words, under a ‘capped’ charging framework it is reasonable to undertake less
   sophisticated and/or detailed infrastructure planning

   The LGAQ's 2015-16 Advocacy Action Plan states that “an equitable development infrastructure planning and
  funding framework that does not shift the cost burden onto councils and the community” is sought. This will be
   best achieved through:
   Restoration of the ability for councils to set conditions related to trunk infrastructure;
   Provision of equitable offset and refund arrangements to ensure the financial sustainability of councils;
   Removal of unnecessary red-tape application process for converting trunk infrastructure conditions; and
   Provision of equitable arrangements for planning, infrastructure delivery and cost sharing for all
   infrastructure designations, including both State and private schools.
   The Queensland Parliament passed the Government Planning Bill(s), with amendments, on 12 May 2016. The
   Planning Act 2016 is expected to commence in mid-2017. Overall, the LGAQ was disappointed the new
   legislation does not address the priority local government issues identified in the LGAQ'’s submission(s) on the
   Planning Bills. The inaction was reflective of the Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources Parliamentary
   Committee’s Report on the Planning Bills, tabled on 8 April 2016, which only included eleven (11)
   recommendations and superficially considered local governments’ priority concerns.

   Specifically, the priority local government issues include:
   Retention of the inequitable infrastructure offset and refund requirements;
   Inclusion of the unnecessary process for an applicant to convert non-trunk infrastructure conditions; and
   Retention of the Third Party State Interest Review of local government infrastructure plans (at councils’
   own cost).
   The LGAQ maintains the requirement for councils to pay for their own Third Party State Interest Review is an
   unequivocal cost shift onto local governments. The LGIP is a key component of a planning scheme and should

   http://www. |gaq.asn.au/group/guest/motions-database/-/asset_publisher/3BOgroUS3ipA/content/2016-r..._                  17/03/2017

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