Proposed amendments to the Bundaberg Regional Council Planning Scheme 2015 regarding building heights are now available for residents to view and comment on.
The public notification period opened today, Friday 24 June, and submissions can be made until Friday 22 July.
Council Group Manager Development Michael Ellery said the proposed amendment seeks to strengthen controls for building height for development along the coast, including high density residential development at Bargara.
“The amendment primarily seeks to address the potential impacts from development on sea turtles, such as impacts from artificial lighting,” Mr Ellery said.
“However, the proposed amendment also seeks to address concerns regarding the impacts from increased building height on the character and amenity of an area more generally, and community expectations with respect to building height.
“This includes the ability for the community to have a say on any development application for development in the sea turtle sensitive area, where building height exceeds the nominated threshold.
“The sea turtle sensitive area covers all land within about 1.5 km of the region’s coastline and takes in the region’s coastal townships.”
He said he encouraged all residents to provide their feedback on the proposed planning scheme amendments.
“This public notification period is an important part of the planning scheme amendment process.
“The proposed amendment helps to reiterate the importance of building height provisions in the planning scheme for achieving both sea turtle protection and character and amenity outcomes.
“Our goal is to ensure planning decisions reflect the best interests of the community and obtaining resident feedback is a big part of that.”
The draft amendment is intended to replace the Temporary Local Planning Instrument (TLPI) 1/2021: Protection of Sea Turtles – Bargara Building Heights.
The proposed amendment also includes changes to how building height is assessed in other zones and localities across the Bundaberg Region.
To view the draft planning scheme amendments and make a submission, head to the project page.
The proposed amendment is also available for viewing at Council’s customer service centres.
For more information contact the strategic planning team on 1300 883 699.
It continues to amaze me that height restrictions within the approved planning scheme don’t have to be enforced by council. All that is needed is for if developer to convince council that they have ways to work around the restrictions.
When did we become so gullible?
Perhaps when our Councillors decided to leave it all to the bureaucrats because they didn’t want to make the hard decisions. We do not elect Council staff. Seems elected Councillors don’t want to make planning decisions and even our Mayor doesn’t want his current job. Not sure it’s all about gullibility – but if we all give up then our community pays a high price
@Garry the real question is where do they get off telling land owners how high they can build at all? If I was developing I would just simply shun this area & build somewhere else in the many cities that allow buildings several times the height of our tallest building even on the coast.
Other Cities North of us that are much more important for turtle habitats have developed right on the coast using correct spectrum of LED lighting to allow the turtles to still thrive.
It dose not seem to be changing much there just removing the 3 story limit for normal buildings & the exemplary design part for taller buildings so 5 stories becomes the normal & some that are abit further back from the cost line could be 6 stories. Exemplary design was always a weak term Bargara is already littered with many not spectacular buildings that are taller then 3 stories this is fitting in with the normal of the area.
Re Gary
It’s not don’t have to be enforced it’s they can’t enforce it. The only one who can stop a building is the state minister just like what happened when they stooped a 9 story building from being built and even that is rare. This happens with every City they set a current expectation for a appeal & look of an area it’s a guide line to make buildings not look out of place but it’s seldomly followed & over time as a area develops you get bigger buildings being submitted.
The guideline is then updated to reflect the change to bigger buildings. Eventually the 9 story building that got knocked back a few years ago will become normal for the area when it dose not look like an eyesore anymore. It’s never really about Turtles.
I think the old folk in Bargara should realise it is not all about them there is a number of Bundaberg, Bargara, Burnett heads, Elliot heads all want to see progress happening around our region not only for tourism but for also for employment. Time to listen the the middle aged and the younger people in this area, also the turtles won’t be effected if use use red street lighting like they have near the new roundabout near rifle range so the turtles don’t get lost.
@Tracey our employment problem is a lie for political purposes the numbers want us to believe the last upswing in unemployment in Bundaberg started 6 months before COVID was found out. Peeked right at the start of the Pandemic, started dropping before stimulus, continued dropping during border closures, continued dropping after stimulus dried up & is still dropping right now. Supposedly our unemployment is the lowest it has been sense before 2011.
Don’t listen to there nonsense we were struggling to get staff across the region the entire time. I want to see development to but it needs to be more about accommodation, health & improving education. We actually have busisness that are shutting down, reducing hours & working odd times because of a lack of staff. This is not a COVID thing.
We can’t take more development & more Tourists. Hotels in Bundaberg were often full before the pandemic & remained that way during lock down likely due to a large amount of work being put into Tourist attractions.
The hotels that were mentioned before lock down have still not been built. Where is this Jewel hotel that prompted the changes? Where is this 2nd new Hotel at Bargara, Where is the new Hotel near the Brothers Sports club? Where do we get the staff? We didn’t have enough before the pandemic. How do already over capacity restaurants cope? Where is the Bundaberg CBD rework?