City of Gold Coast Planning and Development Hub

Welcome to the City of Gold Coast Planning and Development Hub - an online communication and engagement tool created to provide a secure location to give you access to information on matters relating to planning, building and development, such as:

  • practice notes
  • training videos
  • presentations
  • news.
To stay up to date on planning and development matters, sign up to our Planning and Development alerts.


Welcome to the City of Gold Coast Planning and Development Hub - an online communication and engagement tool created to provide a secure location to give you access to information on matters relating to planning, building and development, such as:

  • practice notes
  • training videos
  • presentations
  • news.
To stay up to date on planning and development matters, sign up to our Planning and Development alerts.


  • Water and Waste to enforce the supply of calcareous aggregate concrete

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    From 1 October 2018, Water and Waste will start to enforce the supply of calcareous aggregate concrete on sewer infrastructure projects on the Gold Coast.

    City of Gold Coast’s Water and Waste Directorate currently maintains more than 69,000 maintenance holes. Under certain conditions, gases in the sewerage system can cause corrosion of these assets. By specifying calcareous aggregate concrete for new sewer maintenance holes, this increases their resistance to acidic corrosion, resulting in reduced ongoing maintenance costs.

    Contractors need to start procuring calcareous aggregate concrete as specified in the SEQ Code IPAM List, available from http://www.seqcode.com.au/products/. Refer to category “SEWERAGE MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS”, specifically ‘Pre-cast Maintenance Holes’, and ‘Cast in-situ MH’s (Concrete-special class)’.

    Further information can be provided to you at your next project pre-start meeting. If you have any queries please contact Coordinator Asset Audit & Handover, Nathan Pearson on (07) 5582 8145.

  • Flood overlay maps

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    City Plan Version 6 includes updated flood overlay maps developed utilising a more robust software platform, up-to-date flood related topographic, land use, technological and hydrological data.

    The updated mapping considers future changes to climate, incorporating the projected increase in sea level of 0.8m above present day levels by 2,100 established by the State Government in 2015.

    The updated mapping also includes the State Governments projected 10 per cent storm tide intensity and 10 per cent rainfall intensity, based on advice from industry representatives.

    To view the updated mapping, visit http://cityplanmaps.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/CityPlan/index.html

  • City Plan Version 6

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    City Plan Version 6 commenced yesterday and incorporates Major Update 1 & 1B and Minor and Administrative Update 5.

    The new version includes updated Flood overlay mapping, revisions to improve development outcomes for housing on lots less than 400m2 (small lot houses) and refinements to the residential density provisions and subdivision requirements within the Low density residential zone.

    Below is a full summary of the changes.

    Item

    Summary

    Small lot housing review

    Updated various parts of City Plan to improve development outcomes for housing on lots less than 400m2 (small lot houses).

    Party house land use controls

    Integrates party house land use controls, Temporary Local Planning Instrument (TLPI) No. 4 (party houses) 2018, into the City Plan.

    Flood overlay

    Updates to flood overlay mapping to reflect up-to-date data and State Government criteria, with consequential changes to the flood code.

    Burleigh Heads Village character

    New provisions to reinforce the unique character and values of the Burleigh Heads Village in line with community aspirations and values.

    Tugun Village character

    New provisions to reinforce the unique character and values of the Tugun Village in line with community aspirations and values.

    Transport definitions

    New administrative definitions to assist in the interpretation of the transport code.

    Gold Coast Cultural Precinct

    Changes to align City Plan with the endorsed 2014 Gold Coast Cultural Precinct Masterplan Design Report.

    Building over or near City infrastructure

    Inclusion of provisions which ensure development is located and designed to protect City infrastructure.

    Social, community and public supporting uses

    Reduced levels of assessment for social, community and public supportive land uses on public land within certain zones.

    Setbacks in medium and high density residential zones

    Amendments to the medium and high density residential zone codes to allow a minimum 6 metre front setback for covered car parking.

    Remove reference to Wave Break Island for the Integrated Resort Development at the Broadwater

    Updates to the Strategic framework to remove reference to Wave Break Island being investigated for an Integrated Resort Development or cruise ship terminal.

    Hours of operation for accepted commercial uses in district centres

    Update to apply a closing time of midnight for accepted commercial land uses in district centres.

    Categories of development and assessment certain subdivisions

    Updates to include certain lease, access easement, community title and volumetric subdivisions as code assessable development in the medium density and high density residential zones.

    Emerging community zone setback / site cover provisions

    Updates to residential setback and site cover provisions for lots that have been subdivided.

    Categories of development and assessment for Utility installations affected by overlays

    Updates to reduce level of assessment for City delivered utility installations.

    The Biggera Waters Centre and Surrounding Land Study

    Change to the designation of Biggera Waters to a specialist centre and updates to zoning, height and density of the surrounding lands.

    Alignment of density and lot size in the low density residential zone

    Refinements to the residential density provisions and subdivision requirements within the low density residential zone.


  • City Building Seminar - September

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    Cities facing water: prospects for urban development

    Presented by Professor Joerg Baumeister, Head of Griffith Architecture and SeaCities Leader at the Cities Research Institute

    Griffith University’s Cities Research Institute has identified coastal cities and resilience as one of its strategic research priorities and, as such, is interested in exploring Gold Coast’s interface between Water and Cities.

    While this interface includes new vulnerabilities associated with the impacts of anthropogenic climate change, it offers also great prospects for new urban built forms. Examples from overseas like Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Hamburg demonstrate how to recognise the amenity of river and canal frontage. Valuing these canal and river waterways and combining water features with higher urban densities could improve the urban diversity and suit at the same time our outdoor lifestyle and sub-tropical climate. Will this be relevant to Gold Coast’s future?

    Joerg Baumeister’s Bio
    Joerg Baumeister has been researching, practising, educating and exploring Urban Design and Architecture for more than 20 years in Europe, Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and Asia. This cross-cultural experience is combined with the approach to fuse research, higher education, and implementation in order to create feed-back loops for future developments to evolve the fields of Urban Design and Architecture.

    Before Joerg’s start at Griffith University one year ago he was Director of the Australian Urban Design Research Centre, UWA and has attracted multi-million dollar industry grants for multi-disciplinary projects with government institutions and several research institutions which have been implemented, published in books, government reports and journal articles.

    Date: Thursday, 27 September 2018

    Time: 12.30pm presentation

    Venue: HOTA, Home of the Arts, 135 Bundall Rd, Surfers Paradise

    RSVP: oca@goldcoast.qld.gov.au

  • Water and Waste Better Business Breakfast

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    Water and Waste would like to extend an invitation to two representatives from your organisation to attend our complimentary Better Business Breakfast.

    The City of Gold Coast is inspired to help your business win the war on waste and is pleased to present guest speakers who will provide proactive solutions for sustainable operations.

    As a provider of your essential services, we will also be updating you on:

    • Our new ICT solution to support major customer property and revenue functions
    • Digital city and smart metering
    • Tariff reform update

    Exhibitors will also be on-site providing the opportunity to interact with key personnel in the following areas:

    • Trade waste
    • Scientific laboratory services
    • Waste and recycling initiatives and services
    • Recycled water expansion network

    Places are limited. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about new changes and what this will mean for your business.

    RSVP now to secure your seats.

    Date: 12 September 2018

    Time: 7.30am doors open 8.00am breakfast/presentations

    Where: Southport Golf Club, Slatyer Avenue, Southport.

    RSVP: 3 September 2018 wwbusiness@goldcoast.qld.gov.au or call 07 5582 8122

    Please list any dietary requirements when you RSVP.
  • Temporary Local Planning Instrument No.6 (Development in the Guragunbah flood plain area) 2018

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    On 28 August 2018, Council endorsed the withdrawal of Temporary Local Planning Instrument No.5 (Minimum Land Above Designated Flood Level and Residential Risk Reduction) 2017 and the preparation and submission of Temporary Local Planning Instrument No.6 (Development in the Guragunbah flood plain area) 2018.

    The proposed TLPI No.6 will now be submitted to the Minister for State Development, Infrastructure, Manufacturing and Planning for approval.

    City of Gold Coast has also sought approval for a commencement date of 28 August 2018. If approved by the Minister, Council will need to resolve to adopt TLPI No.6 to bring it into effect.

    TLPI No.6 seeks to prevent the potential loss of the city’s flood resilience and enable the sustainable mitigation of flood hazard on flood prone land in the Guragunbah flood plain area.

    TLPI No.6 will amend the operation of the Flood overlay code to ensure development in the Guragunbah flood plain area is not exposed to high to extreme flood hazard unless it is specified as suitable.

    The Guragunbah flood plain is recognised as the largest urban flood plain in Australia. It is a unique natural asset recognised for providing significant open space and habitat of state and local significance.

    TLPI No.6 will have a lifespan of two years from the commencement date and is intended to apply until City has formally amended the Flood overlay code in City Plan.

    For more information visit cityofgoldcoast.com.au
  • Flood overlay mapping: Technical reports

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    The City of Gold Coast’s Flood overlay maps were developed based on the outputs of a series of peer reviewed hydrological and hydrodynamic (flood) models.

    The City has made available both the technical reports describing the City’s flood models and the peer review reports of the models. These reports can be viewed on the City of Gold Coast website.

  • Development assessment in relation to commencement of City Plan Version 6

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    Council has endorsed the adoption of Major Update 1 and 1B to the City Plan, which will commence on 20 September 2018 as part of City Plan Version 6. One of the significant updates includes changes to flood overlay maps and the Designated Flood Level (DFL). For example, in some areas of the City, this will result in some properties requiring a significant increase to the height of habitable floor levels for new development. Other properties that were not previously impacted by flood, may now be impacted.

    The following advisory notes are provided to assist applicants who have development applications lodged with Council, or are intending to lodge applications with Council, leading up to the commencement of City Plan Version 6:

    • Applications currently lodged with Council that can be decided, or will reach the decision stage, prior to City Plan Version 6

      In most circumstances, Council Officers will not have regard to City Plan Version 6 for applications that can be resolved, or are in decision stage, prior to the commencement of City Plan Version 6.

    • Applications that are lodged with Council prior to the commencement of City Plan Version 6 that have not reached the decision stage

      For applications that reach decision stage after commencement of City Plan Version 6, regard will be given to City Plan Version 6. In particular, there is a strong likelihood that officers will request applicants to fully respond to the new flood overlay maps and DFL.

      Our objective is to ensure applicants are fully aware of this position as we wish to avoid an applicant from having to provide an assessment under City Plan Version 5 and then having to provide a further assessment under City Plan Version 6. We also want to avoid applicants from having to carry out a potential redesign of an application and the significant frustrations this will cause.

    • Applications lodged with Council after the commencement of City Plan Version 6

      These applications will be assessed and decided under City Plan Version 6.

      An applicant is entitled to lodge a request for a Superseded Planning Scheme (SPS) for their application to be assessed and decided under City Plan Version 5. However, there is no certainty that such a request will be supported. Enhancing and maintaining resilience to flood hazard is of paramount importance to the City, and therefore it is unlikely that Officers will support an SPS application that is seeking to utilise the superseded flood overlay maps and DFL under City Plan Version 5.

    Managing the transition from City Plan Version 5 to City Plan Version 6

    It is imperative that strong communication occurs between applicants and officers relating to required information in order for a full assessment to be made and the critical dates the information must be submitted by. Applicants are encouraged to contact the assessing officers as soon as possible. Likewise, Council’s assessing officers will endeavour to contact affected applicants in the coming weeks.

    We appreciate that applicants may attempt to have their applications resolved prior to the commencement of City Version 6, or at least to ensure the application reaches the Decision Stage prior to the commencement of City Plan Version 6. Officers will act as reasonably as possible to ensure applications are not unnecessarily held up during this transitional period. However, we strongly discourage the submission of unsatisfactory information simply to progress the application to the decision stage. Such information may result in applications being decided unfavourably. Officers would rather work with an applicant as soon as possible in an attempt to resolve issues prior to the commencement of City Plan Version 6.

  • City Building Seminar - August

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    Why Smart Cities might be so 2017 – and what this means for urban innovation

    Presented by Matthew Burke, Associate Professor, Cities Research Institute, Griffith University and Transport Academic Partnership Chair

    There has been significant policy interest in Smart Cities as a means of harnessing the power of new IT solutions, urban sensors and Big Data to provide services more efficiently. But Smart Cities are also part of a broader set of initiatives with a long history in urban technology and planning to try and generate innovation.

    So-called “Living Laboratories”, knowledge precincts and other techno-utopian dreams have usually foundered, falling short of expectations. Clustering knowledge-based land uses in new ways can be effective though, especially when involving large research universities.

    Today’s most interesting experiment is Alphabet’s (Google’s) Quayside development in Toronto, where the firm is trialling tech solutions to urban problems, including shared mobility, via its Sidewalk Labs initiative. This presentation looks at what is happening in Toronto, highlights the recent history of such initiatives, discusses the critique of Smart Cities by key urban theorists, and explores what it all means for innovation in urban mobility. Recent Smart Cities initiatives in Australia and transport and land use planning for knowledge clustering in both Brisbane and the Gold Coast will be discussed.

    Matthew Burke Bio

    Matthew Burke’s research is mainly in travel behaviour, transport planning and the interactions of transport and land use.

    Matthew helps coordinate much of his university’s transport research effort and he is leading the “Funding on the Line” project supported by the City of Gold Coast. Griffith University is now formally ranked in the top 100 universities in the world for research in the field of transportation science and technology

    Date: Thursday, 30 August 2018

    Time: 12.30pm presentation

    Venue: HOTA, Home of the Arts, 135 Bundall Rd, Surfers Paradise

    RSVP: oca@goldcoast.qld.gov.au

  • Council endorse commencement of Major Update 1 and 1B to City Plan

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    Council today endorsed the adoption Major Update 1 and 1B to the City Plan, which will commence on 20 September 2018 as part of City Plan Version 6. These updates were endorsed by the Minister for adoption with no conditions.

    The updates were available for public comment in late 2017. The City reviewed all properly made submissions, changes were considered and made to the update packages where it could be demonstrated the change would result in an improved outcome or public benefit.

    Major Update 1 and 1B comprises of a combination of improvements and policy shifts to meet State requirements, align with community expectations and achieve best practice including:

    • new provisions from the small lot housing review;
    • refinements to the density provisions and subdivision requirements within the low density residential zone;
    • party house land use controls to ensure ongoing regulation of party houses within our city, replacing the current temporary measures;
    • proposed changes to zoning, height and densities in the area surrounding Harbour Town Shopping Centre to support appropriate future growth and opportunities;
    • new provisions in the strategic framework, to reinforce the unique character and values of Tugun Village and Burleigh Heads Village; and
    • updated Flood overlay mapping incorporating the projected increase in sea level of 0.8m above present-day levels by 2100, established by the State Government in 2015; and the State Government's projected 10% storm tide intensity and 10% rainfall intensity, based on advice from industry representatives and recommended by the Australian Rainfall and Runoff Handbook.

    For more information visit www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au

Page last updated: 07 Feb 2024, 11:16 AM