About Caloundra City Plan

To help manage growth in one of the fastest growing regions of Australia, the former Caloundra City Council prepared a new planning scheme – the Caloundra City Plan 2004.

The Caloundra City Plan 2004 aims to manage new development on private and public land in Caloundra City towards ecologically sustainable outcomes.

The former Caloundra City Council adopted the Caloundra City Plan 2004 on 25 August 2004. It officially commenced on 29 September 2004.

Setting the scene

Caloundra City:

• is located approximately 50kms north of Brisbane 's Central Business District at the southern gateway to the Sunshine Coast
• has an area of about 1,100km²
• has 33kms of beach frontage
• has a current population of approximately 88,500
• has diverse scenery consisting of
• the coastal strip (Kawana Waters, Caloundra, and Golden Beach)
• hinterland townships (Mooloolah, Landsborough, Beerwah, Glass House Mountains, Beerburrum and Peachester)
• the Maleny Plateau and the Conondale Ranges.

The region’s spectacular natural features and relaxed lifestyle make it one of Queensland 's leading tourist destinations.

Why the council prepared a new plan

Caloundra City is projected to have more than 120,000 residents by 2016.

The Caloundra City Plan 2004 was prepared in accordance with the Integrated Planning Act 1997, to manage this high rate of growth without compromising the environmental, economic and community values of Caloundra City.

Towards this, the Caloundra City Plan:

• seeks to achieve ecological sustainability by managing the social, environmental and economic impacts of development
• outlines how land, buildings and structures are used and developed
• identifies physical features, for example flooding, steep slopes, significant vegetation and bushfire hazard areas, that need to be taken into account by development proposals
• sets the level of services for new development, for example roads, water supply, sewerage and open space.

Integrated Planning Act, 1997

All Queensland local governments are required to prepare a new planning scheme, to comply with the Integrated Planning Act 1997.

The Integrated Planning Act 1997 (IPA) forms the foundation of Queensland 's planning and development assessment legislation.

The Caloundra City Plan 2004 was the first planning scheme for Caloundra City to be prepared under the Integrated Planning Act 1997.

What the City Plan does and doesn't do

Caloundra City Plan 2004 is primarily used by the council to determine what development requires approval and in assessing development applications.

Caloundra City Plan 2004 is a legal document that manages new development on every parcel of land within Caloundra City. Such development, which is defined in the Integrated Planning Act 1997, may include any of the following:

• material change of use of premises (e.g. redevelopment of a house for residential units)
• reconfiguring a lot (e.g. subdivision of land or boundary alteration)
• carrying out operational work (e.g. excavation or filling, placing an advertising device on premises or landscape works)
• carrying out building work (e.g. building, repairing, altering, moving or demolishing a building).

On 29 September 2004, the Caloundra City Plan replaced a range of existing planning documents, including the 1996 Caloundra City Planning Scheme (including zones), Strategic Plan and Development Control Plans. See more information on Superseded Planning Schemes.

There are many things Caloundra City Plan is unable to do. For instance, Caloundra City Plan is unable to:

• change or remove existing development which has lawfully been created in the past
• deal with matters not related to development (such as animal registration, rates and rubbish).

SEQ Regional Plan

Since the introduction of Caloundra City Plan, the Queensland State Government released the South East Queensland (SEQ) Regional Plan.

All local governments in south east Queensland are required to amend their planning schemes to ensure consistency with the SEQ Regional Plan. For more information visit the SEQ Regional Plan website.

Key feaures of City Plan

The Caloundra City Plan introduces six Desired Environmental Outcomes (DEOs). DEOs are based on the principles of ecological sustainability. They broadly state what the draft Caloundra City Plan seeks to achieve.

The DEOs relate to:

• Economic Development
• Community Life and Wellbeing
• Natural Assets and Systems
• Character and Identity
• Access and Mobility
• Infrastructure

The Caloundra City Plan divides the local government area into 16 Planning Areas. The Planning Areas are broadly based on water catchment and geographical boundaries, including urban and township boundaries.

Each of the 16 Planning Areas are further divided into Precincts. The precincts can be broadly grouped into these categories:

• Residential
• Business and Commercial
• Industry
• Rural
• Emerging Community
• Open Space
• Community

In effect, ‘Precincts’ replace 'Zones' and 'Designations', which were used in the previous planning scheme.

You can also view the Caloundra City Plan online.