Protecting the environment for future generations
19 June 2023
Ipswich’s natural environment will be protected as part of Council’s new planning scheme, Ipswich Plan 2024.
The use of a new ‘Environmental Management’ zone in the Ipswich Plan 2024 provides a zone that protects natural areas for the preservation of vegetation and habit, for waterways and for water during flooding, and for recreation and the visual beauty of living close to nature in our residential areas.
Growth, Infrastructure and Waste Committee Chair Mayor Teresa Harding said the draft plan struck a balance between the development of our city and ensuring we have protected places for nature.
“Development unfortunately results in habitat loss, so the planning scheme also needs to focus on those important and high-value environmental areas in the city that make Ipswich unique and beautiful,” Mayor Harding said.
“We want to protect the environment for generations to come and this is done by ensuring that our Conservation, Environmental Management and Recreation Zones protect the best of our environmental areas and reflect the realities of natural hazards such as bushfire and flooding.
“The new draft scheme has 170 square km of land identified in the Conservation and Environmental Management Zones, that is the equivalent of 740 Queens Parks.”
Growth, Infrastructure and Waste Deputy Chairperson Councillor Paul Tully said it was important to consider a range of dwelling types, including areas for units and smaller lot sizes.
“Higher density housing helps us to keep our urban footprint compact - if we increase lot sizes, or we reduce our focus on the development of units and other forms of attached housing, development will eventually take up more space and we will likely have a bigger impact on the environment,” Cr Tully said.
“These areas will of course be situated close to public transport, shops and other infrastructure, which helps preserve our wonderful natural assets that we’re privileged to have.”
Environment and Sustainability Committee Chairperson Deputy Mayor Russell Milligan said the Conservation, Environmental Management and Recreation Zones would protect and enhance our natural places all across the city, such as Flinders Peak and the Little Liverpool Range.
“The treed ridgelines, valleys and hillsides around Ipswich are critical to our city’s natural beauty, as well as our efforts to maintain and improve biodiversity,” Cr Milligan said.
“The planning scheme works together with the natural environment strategy, initiatives like our landholder conservation partnership program and the Enviroplan program to help us acquire and enhance natural assets, and to help private landowners maintain their natural assets.
“In developing the new planning scheme, new tools have been developed to help protect the environment including new waterway codes, landscaping and planting, the design of stormwater systems, standards for earthworks and newly mapped areas of local or state environmental significance.”
The Ipswich Plan 2024 is open for consultation until 16 July and the Local Government Infrastructure Plan (LGIP) is open for consultation until 25 July.
The council’s draft Local Government Infrastructure Plan (LGIP) is a set of documents defining where, when and how council plans to establish new trunk roads, public parks and land for community facilities across the local government area over the next 25 years.
To leave comments and for more information about both documents, visit Shape Your Ipswich.