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Ipswich is currently one of the fastest growing cities in Australia and has consistently been one of the fastest in Queensland for decades.

It is important to make sure that as our city grows, the necessary trunk infrastructure is delivered where and when it is needed and achieves value for money for our community.

To make this happen, the new Local Government Infrastructure Plan (LGIP 2025) has been prepared. The LGIP 2025 forms part of the Ipswich City Plan 2025.

What is the purpose of a Local Government Infrastructure Plan?

The LGIP 2025 identifies council’s plans for trunk infrastructure that are necessary to service urban development at the desired standard of service in a coordinated, efficient, and financially sustainable manner.

The LGIP 2025 also identifies the type, scale, location, and timing of development within the local government area for the period of 2021 to 2046.

The benefits of the LGIP include:

  • integrates infrastructure planning with land use planning identified in the Ipswich City Plan 2025
  • outlines the intended provision of trunk infrastructure for Ipswich
  • enables council to estimate the cost of trunk infrastructure to assist long-term financial planning
  • ensures that trunk infrastructure is planned and provided in an efficient and orderly manner
  • provides a basis for the conditioning of trunk infrastructure through development
  • guides council’s capital works program and assists with long-term financial planning
  • provides transparency for the community and developers
  • ensures that trunk infrastructure is well planned, provided efficiently, and is cost effective.

Council prioritises infrastructure expenditure and delivery on a city-wide basis, responding to where and when it is needed.

The LGIP 2025 forms part of the Ipswich City Plan 2025, specifically Part 6 and Schedule 3. It also includes extrinsic material that includes background studies and planning reports, and is supported by planning scheme policies in Schedule 6 and can be viewed here.

Supporting documents

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What is trunk infrastructure?

Trunk infrastructure as defined under the Planning Act 2016, is development infrastructure identified in the LGIP consisting of significant infrastructure that supports growth across large areas or catchments and benefits several development sites. The LGIP 2025 includes trunk infrastructure specifically for the following networks:

  • transport (e.g. roads, intersections, bridges, pathways, and bus stops)
  • public parks (e.g. recreation parks and sporting facilities)
  • land for community facilities (e.g. land for community assets including libraries and community centres)

The LGIP nominates the expected location and land requirements for future trunk infrastructure. It also identifies the expected embellishments and associated estimated costs. The land requirements can be specifically identified, while for some items it remains indicative normally where the planning for and design of an item has not reached a point where the land requirements can be specifically identified.

Non-trunk infrastructure is internal to a development, necessary upgrade works required to service the development, or to connect a development to the external infrastructure network.

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What about water and sewerage supply?

Urban Utilities remains responsible for planning and delivering the water supply and sewerage networks in Ipswich.  The water supply and sewerage network planning are outlined in a document like the LGIP, called the Water Netserv Plan.

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Ripley Valley Priority Development Area

Infrastructure planning, charging and delivery for the Ripley Valley Priority Development Area (Ripley Valley PDA) is the responsibility of Economic Development Queensland. The interrelationship and projected growth for the Ripley Valley PDA was considered in the preparation of LGIP 2025.

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How is new trunk infrastructure funded?

Each year, Council invests millions of dollars in new and upgraded trunk infrastructure across Ipswich to support the high levels of growth and development. This trunk infrastructure is funded, in part, by infrastructure charges.

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What are infrastructure charges and what do these charges go towards?

Infrastructure charges are the charges levied on development for the additional demand placed on Council’s trunk infrastructure networks. The current charges are specified in the Ipswich Adopted Infrastructure Charges Resolution (No.1) 2025.

Council levies charges for trunk infrastructure networks for transport (roads), public parks and for land for community facilities. Urban Utilities (UU) is responsible for water and sewerage infrastructure planning and charging under its Water Netserv Plan.

These charges are capped by the Queensland Government and the revenue received is insufficient to service all necessary infrastructure required to service the projected growth. This means Council supplements these costs from other sources.

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Ipswich Adopted Infrastructure Charges Resolution

In accordance with the Planning Act 2016, a local government may, by resolution, adopt charges for providing trunk infrastructure for development. The adopted infrastructure charges can be set equal to, or below, the maximum adopted charge in the Planning Regulation 2017.

On 19 June 2025, Ipswich City Council resolved to adopt the Ipswich Adopted Infrastructure Charges Resolution (No.1) 2025, which took effect on and from 1 July 2025.

The purpose of the Ipswich Adopted Charges Resolution (No.1) 2025 is to state:

  • the adopted charges for providing the Council’s trunk infrastructure networks
  • the levied charges to be levied by council for development for the demand placed on the local government trunk infrastructure networks, and
  • matters relevant to the working out of an offset and refund for a trunk infrastructure contribution for the local government trunk infrastructure networks for development

View the Ipswich Adopted Infrastructure Charges Resolution (No. 1) 2025

View the AICR No. 1 2025 LGIP Charge Area Index

The Ipswich Adopted Infrastructure Charges Resolution (No.1) 2025 replaced the Ipswich Adopted Infrastructure Charges Resolution (No.1) 2024. This new resolution includes a number of key changes, including:

  • applies the prescribed amount as the maximum adopted charge (MAC) indexed consistent with the Producer Price Index (PPI);
  • updates the conversion criteria, and includes updated criteria for market cost recalculations;
  • removes the deemed demand for deemed demand areas, including associated mapping;
  • removes the constrained land map;
  • provides for the inclusion of select discounts to provide infrastructure charges relief; and
  • includes an annual fund cap per category and discount cap per development.

The Resolution is supported by the following Council incentive policies:

  1. Not-for-profit Community Organisation Incentives Policy
  2. Rural Tourism Incentives Policy
  3. Adaptive Reuse of Character Buildings Incentives Policy
  4. Hotel and Short-Term Accommodation Incentives Policy
  5. Housing Diversity and Affordability Incentives Policy

These incentive policies are targeted at short-term delivery of development that alleviates current community challenges, including the delivery of affordable housing and a diversity of housing.  The policies apply caps to financial incentives and also provides for the deferral of payments to support community organisations and the delivery of development that benefits the community.

How are infrastructure charges for water and sewerage levied?

The Infrastructure Charges Notice issued by Council does not include levied charges payable for water supply and sewerage networks. These charges are levied by the Central SEQ Distributor-Retailer Authority, Trading as Urban Utilities (UU), which are in a separate infrastructure charges notice issued by UU.

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What are charges that are levied as conditions of an approval?

Contributions may be charges and may include contributions that were levied as conditions on the development under Council’s Planning Scheme Policies or charges issued under former Planning Scheme Policies.

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Who is responsible for paying infrastructure charges?

Infrastructure charges and development approvals attach to the land. They are binding on the owner and subsequent owners of the land. If the charges were levied in accordance with an Infrastructure Charges Notice (ICN), the charges are the responsibility of the property owner at the time of payment. Payment of any unpaid charges can be claimed as a rate against the property. If the charges or contributions were levied as a condition on the development approval, the property owner is responsible for the payment of the charges.

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When are infrastructure charges payable?

An Infrastructure Charges Notice (ICN) listing any applicable infrastructure charges for the proposed development is issued with the Development Permit by Council to both the applicant and the property owner. The timing of the payment of infrastructure charges levied by Urban Utilities (UU) is included in the Infrastructure Charges Notice issued by them. Infrastructure charges will be due and payable according to the trigger for payment outlined in the ICN. Triggers for payment depend on the type of development and are defined in section 122 of the Planning Act 2016:

  • if the charge applies for reconfiguring of a lot – when Council approves a plan for the reconfiguration
  • if the charge applies to building work – when the final inspection certificate for the building work is given, or the certificate of occupancy for the building is given
  • if the charge applies for a material change of use – when the change happens
  • or unless otherwise stated in an infrastructure agreement

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How can I pay my infrastructure charges?

If you have not received an invoice to pay you must request an invoice before paying infrastructure charges or contributions by completing the following form. Please do not use your ICN to pay your charges. You can make a request for an infrastructure charges invoice or contributions invoice if the infrastructure charges or contributions will become payable within 30 days of the making the request. To avoid delays, check the payment due date on the invoice prior to attempting to pay the charges. If the date has passed, you will need to request a new invoice.

Council only accepts payment for infrastructure charges or contributions by way of Bank Cheque, Cash or Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). Personal and/or company cheques will not be accepted as payment for infrastructure charges or contributions. For more information regarding payment options and details of EFT payments, email iccpdbusinesssupport@ipswich.qld.gov.au.

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Unpaid infrastructure charges

Council regularly audits our infrastructure charging system to identify unpaid infrastructure charges.

If the charges were included in an Infrastructure Charges Notice Council will send you correspondence and an invoice to pay. If full payment is not made within the timeframe set out in the invoice, the unpaid infrastructure charges may be transferred to the rates account for the property.

If the charges were levied as conditions of an approval or in accordance with Council’s earlier Planning Scheme policies, then you will first receive a letter and an invoice to pay. If payment is not received within the due date on the invoice, you may receive a Show Cause Notice which will request, you to show cause to Council as to why an Enforcement Notice should not be issued to you. If the response to the Show Cause Notice is unsatisfactory, Council may then issue you with an Enforcement Notice. This notice requires you to comply with the conditions of the approval by making payment of the unpaid infrastructure charges. If payment is not made in response to an Enforcement Notice, Council may begin legal proceedings to recover the unpaid infrastructure charges.

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Infrastructure Charges Register and Trunk Infrastructure Report

Council manages Charges through a new system known as Novoplan. The Novoplan Infrastructure Charges Register is updated on a monthly basis and as a requirement of the Planning Act 2016, includes the following information for each charge levied:

  • The real property description of the premises the charge applies to.
  • The charges resolution under which the charge was levied.
  • The amount of the charge levied.
  • How the charge was worked out (refer to the Ipswich Adopted Infrastructure Charges Resolution, Part 3, Section 8 – Working out the levied charge of the AICR).
  • If an automatic increase provision applies to the charge
    • that the charge is subject to automatic increases; and
    • how the increases are worked out under the provision (refer to the Adopted Infrastructure Charges Resolution, Part 3, Section 11 – Working out the automatic increase).
  • If all or part of the charge has been paid—the amount paid and the day on which it was paid.
  • If the charge has not been paid in full—the amount of the charge unpaid.
  • Details of any offset or refund given.
  • If the charge was levied as a result of a development approval—the approval reference number and the day the approval will lapse.
  • If infrastructure is to be provided instead of paying the charge—details of any infrastructure still to be provided.
  • If the levied charge is the subject of an infrastructure agreement—details of the agreement.

Some of the above information is captured in the Infrastructure Charges Notice that accompanies the Decision Notice and can be viewed by searching for the development application through Development.i.

Commencing from 1 January 2020, Council publishes quarterly reporting on Trunk Infrastructure Information as part of its obligations for the Infrastructure Charges Register.

The Trunk Infrastructure Charges Report includes details of infrastructure charges revenue and expenditure and provides a summary of the trunk infrastructure provided by both developers and Council, and other details including location and whether the infrastructure is included in the Local Government Infrastructure Plan (LGIP).

The report includes additional information such as Council-delivered infrastructure projects, that are not identified in the LGIP but are consistent with the characteristics of trunk infrastructure typically included in the LGIP. The report is published as soon as reasonably practicable after the end of each quarter.

Under the Planning Act 2016, infrastructure charges revenue that is collected in monetary form is not required to be spent in the same suburb or locality where it was collected and may be used to pay for shared citywide or district level infrastructure such as an arterial road or major sports complex.

The collection of infrastructure charges may continue for many years following the delivery of significant trunk infrastructure items, or charges may be accrued over long periods of time prior to delivery.

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More information

For more information, please contact our friendly planning team by: