Central West Regional Plan planning for a stronger, more liveable and sustainable community September 2009 Central West Regional Plan Disclaimer: This document is produced to The regional plan does not commit or convey general information. While every pertain to commit any government, industry Prepared by: care has been taken in preparing this or community organisation to implement, The Honourable Stirling Hinchliffe MP, document, the State of Queensland accepts fund or otherwise resource specific activities Minister for Infrastructure and Planning, in no responsibility for decisions or actions or programs. accordance with the Integrated Planning taken as a result of any data, information, Act 1997, Division 4, Section 2.5A statement or advice, express or implied, All maps are intended to represent general contained within. The contents of this concepts for the purpose of broad-scale With assistance from: document were correct to the best of our regional planning. These maps do not Department of Infrastructure and Planning knowledge at the time of publishing. and are not intended to identify or give attributes or rights, including land use and Any reference to legislation contained within development rights, to specific land parcels. In consultation with: is not an interpretation of the law. It is to Boundaries and locations are indicative only Central West Regional Coordination be used as a guide only. The information and may be subject to further refinement. Committee (CWRCC). contained within does not take into The Department of Infrastructure and consideration any reference to individual Planning, does not guarantee or make Published by: circumstances or situations. Where any representations as to the accuracy or appropriate independent legal advice should completeness of the information shown be sought. on these maps, nor does it accept any responsibility or liability for any loss or Release notes damage arising from its use. The Department of Infrastructure and The Central West Regional Plan is released by the Minister for Infrastructure and For more information on the regional Planning brings together planning, plan contact: local government and infrastructure Planning in accordance with the Integrated Planning Act 1997, section 2.5A.15. It is a Department of Infrastructure and Planning responsibilities into one department post PO Box 161 enabling government to deliver integrated statutory instrument under the Statutory Instruments Act 1992. Longreach Qld 4730 Australia solutions, face the state’s population visit 138 Eagle Street Longreach and economic challenges and secure a tel 1300 724 061 sustainable future for Queensland. The regional plan applies to the Central West regional local government areas fax +61 7 4650 1288 © The State of Queensland (Department as defined under Integrated Planning email [email protected] of Infrastructure and Planning) 2009. Regulations 1998, Schedule 3A, Part 4. web www.dip.qld.gov.au/centralwest Published by the Queensland Government, It replaces the Draft Central West Regional Copies of the regional plan are available: September 2009, 100 George Street, Plan (the draft plan) released by the online www.dip.qld.gov.au/centralwest Brisbane Qld 4000. planning Minister on 5 August 2008. The draft plan was subject to community for viewing at most council chambers, The Queensland Government supports and consultation and comment up to libraries and customer service centres within encourages the dissemination and exchange 30 November 2008. A consultation report, the local government areas covered by the of information. However, copyright protects which summarised the issues raised regional plan this document. The State of Queensland during the consultation period was on CD-ROM or in hard copy by contacting has no objection to this material being released on 10 September 2009. It is Department of Infrastructure and reproduced, made available online or available at www.dip.qld.gov.au/centralwest Planning offices in Longreach, Rockhampton electronically but only if it is recognised as or by calling 1300 724 061. and Brisbane the owner of the copyright and this material by phoning 1300 724 061 remains unaltered. Copyright inquiries about The regional plan has been prepared in by emailing [email protected] this publication should be directed to the good faith, taking into account all public Crown Copyright Administrator via email, submissions, to provide a framework for Department of Infrastructure and [email protected] or in writing to the management and development of the Planning offices: PO Box 15168, City East, Queensland 4002. Central West for more than 20 years. • 138 Eagle Street Longreach • Level 3, 130 Victoria Parade ISBN: 978-0-9804831-6-1 The regional plan represents an agreed Rockhampton RPC_0056_.04_Pu Queensland Government position on the • Shop front, 63 George Street Brisbane future of the Central West region. Any plans, policies and codes being prepared or amended by state agencies or local government must reflect and align with the regional plan. The Queensland Government is committed to providing accessible services to Queenslanders from all culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. If you have difficulty understanding this document and need an interpreter, please call the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) on 131 450 and ask them to telephone the Queensland Department of Infrastructure and Planning on 07 3227 8548. Central West Regional Plan planning for a stronger, more liveable and sustainable community Regional vision The quality of our region’s relaxed, balanced lifestyle is widely known and sets us apart from other regions in Queensland and Australia. As custodians of Australian history, we take our stewardship of history, culture, natural resources and the environment, seriously. Ours is a region that provides the opportunity for strong, diverse and creative industries to develop, driving the economic development of our communities. People choose to live in and visit the Central West due to our liveable, affordable, safe, vibrant, prosperous and cohesive communities. Central West Regional Plan 2 Central West Regional Plan Contents PART A—Introduction 4 3.5 Indigenous cultural heritage 32 Background and purpose 4 3.6 Sport and recreation 33 Statutory planning 6 3.7 Community involvement and capacity building 33 Preparation 6 3.8 Advancing the region 34 Application, implementation and review 7 3.9 Promoting health and wellbeing 35 Structure of the regional plan 8 4. Urban development 37 Maps 9 4.1 Urban structure and settlement 38 PART B—Regional vision 10 4.2 Urban character and form 39 PART C—Strategic directions 12 4.3 Housing mix, affordability and design 39 Create a more sustainable future 12 4.4 Disaster management 39 Protect regional biodiversity and supporting 5. Economic development 40 agricultural production values 12 5.1 Land availability 44 Enhance the identity of regional communities 12 5.2 Business and industry 44 Provide infrastructure and services 13 5.3 Regional economy 45 Integrate land use, transport and economic activity 13 5.4 Agriculture 45 PART D—Regional activity centres network 14 5.5 Tourism 46 Major rural activity centre 14 5.6 Knowledge and technology 47 District rural activity centres 15 5.7 Innovation and marketing 47 Community activity centres 16 5.8 Employment, labour force and skills 47 Specialist activity centre 16 5.9 Education and training 48 Other community hubs 16 5.10 Energy and mineral resource development 48 PART E—Regional policies and strategies 17 6. Infrastructure 50 Underlying principles 17 6.1 Infrastructure planning and coordination 51 1. Natural environment 19 6.2 Water supply and management 52 1.1 Ecological values and biodiversity 20 6.3 Waste management 52 1.2 Watercourses and wetlands 21 6.4 Energy, information and technology 53 1.3 Atmosphere and greenhouse gas emissions 22 6.5 Transport networks 53 1.4 Air and acoustic environment protection 23 6.6 Roads and highways 54 2. Natural resources 24 6.7 Railways 55 2.1 Land and natural resource use and management 25 6.8 Airports and air services 55 2.2 Water management 26 PART F—Implementation, monitoring and review 56 2.3 Pest management 27 Plan making 56 3. Strong communities 28 Implementation 56 3.1 Regional lifestyle 30 Roles and responsibilities 57 3.2 Leadership, networks and coordination 31 Monitoring and reporting 57 3.3 Social justice and safety 31 Review process 57 3.4 Cultural values 31 Community involvement in implementation 57 3 Appendix 1 58 Mapping methodology for areas of ecological significance 58 Areas of high ecological significance 58 Areas of general ecological significance 58 Appendix 2 59 Maps 59 Bibliography 66 Glossary 67 Acknowledgments 69 List of tables and figures Table 1. Specific climate change projections for the Central West 18 Table 2. Estimated resident population, Central West Region, June 2006 30 Table 3. Employment within various industries in the Central West 40 Table 4. Counts of businesses, Central West statistical division, June 2006 41 Table 5. Regional indicator snapshot Central West statistical division 42 Table 6. Galilee mining potential 42 Figure 1. Relationship between this regional plan and other plans and strategies 6 Figure 2. Regional plan flowchart 8 Figure 3. Population projections to 2031 29 Figure 4. Urban and rural population 1976-2006 29 Figure 5. Population in urban centres and rural localities 1971-2006 29 Figure 6. Estimated resident population 1995-2006