Why has Toowoomba Regional Council prepared a new planning scheme?

Toowoomba Regional Council has prepared a new planning scheme to provide a regional planning perspective for planning and development. After the eight former councils of Cambooya, Clifton, Crows Nest, Jondaryan, Millmerran, Pittsworth, Rosalie and Toowoomba amalgamated in March 2008 to form Toowoomba Regional Council, a decision was made to prepare a new planning scheme.

One regional planning scheme will reduce the inefficiencies, inconsistencies and confusion with administering such a large number of planning schemes.

Having planning and development in the region administered under one planning scheme will have the following benefits:

It will:

• provide a consolidated vision for future development shared by council, the community and industry.
• provide the opportunity to update content to reflect current and best practices.
• address strategic gaps and inconsistencies existing in some current schemes (e.g. some current schemes have strategies regarding heritage and character and some don’t)
• eliminate inappropriate inconsistencies in development standards throughout the region.
• provide a regional approach to infrastructure roll-out allowing a new level of coordination and improved efficiencies in service delivery.
• maximise administrative efficiency for all scheme users.