Why is infrastructure planning required?
The Integrated Planning Act 1997 (IPA) requires integration of land use and infrastructure planning to allow infrastructure to be supplied in a coordinated, efficient and logical manner. This further supports sustainable development and encourages growth in areas where adequate infrastructure exists or can be provided efficiently.
The Queensland Government requires all councils to incorporate a priority infrastructure plan (PIP) in their planning schemes. The PIP provides a plan and funding mechanism for future trunk infrastructure networks associated with water supply, sewerage, stormwater drainage, transport, recreational facilities and land for community facilities over the next 10 to 15 years.
Infrastructure planning will enable Council to better manage the demand of population growth, whilst reducing infrastructure costs to the community as a whole. Infrastructure Planning is recognised as an important part of land use planning, and has a major influence on creating sustainable communities.
What is Infrastructure?
Infrastructure is land, facilities, services and works used for supporting economic activity and meeting environmental requirements and social needs.
The types of infrastructure networks that the PIP document will cover, includes:
- Stormwater (drainage);
- Transport infrastructure (roads);
- Community infrastructure (public parks and land for community facilities); and
- Water cycle infrastructure (water supply and sewerage).
Why is having a PIP so important for Local Government?
From a local government perspective, the PIP performs two major roles.
Firstly, it provides a forward planning role for those development infrastructure networks that are essential for the safe, healthy and efficiently functioning local communities. After taking into account the expected population and employment growth, Council infrastructure planners then translate this into the desirable infrastructure networks needed to support this population. Through this exercise Council can identify efficiencies to be gained in coordinating and sequencing development so that investment in existing infrastructure can be maximised and future infrastructure can be delivered in a more cost effective manner.
Secondly, it provides the mechanism in which Council can fairly and equitably fund the provision of this infrastructure network. The PIP aims to segregate costs associated with infrastructure between existing and future populations so that any new development only pays for their expected usage of the different infrastructure networks (i.e. users pay).
The PIP identifies infrastructure provision until 2021 and will be amended periodically to keep up with the city's growing population and changing circumstances.
What does the PIP mean for the city?
The PIP:
- Details a citywide infrastructure plan for the whole community;
- Identifies the future infrastructure needs of our city;
- Provides a clear and transparent basis for calculating infrastructure charges applicable to new development;
- ensures that new development pays its fair share of the cost for providing infrastructure;
- will enable services and facilities to be provided more efficiently and cost effectively;
- will enable current and future Logan residents to be supported by high quality infrastructure and
- will help to manage the city's growth in a more efficient way; and
- provides the framework for ongoing development, which in turn encourages investment.
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