The Gap residents will soon get the chance to provide feedback on a new Neighbourhood Plan for the local area, after Brisbane City Council endorsed the draft plan today.
City Planning Chairman Councillor Julian Simmonds said the draft plan, which would now be sent to the Queensland Government for review, was part of Council’s commitment to preserving the leafy green character of The Gap community.
“Brisbane is already a great place to live work and relax, and Council is committed to planning for the future to ensure that our city remains liveable and sustainable,” Cr Simmonds said.
“During consultation to date, Council has received more than 1500 ideas and comments through survey responses, Community Planning Team workshops and via phone, email, letter, information kiosks and face-to-face meetings, which were used to inform this plan.
“Council’s commitment has been to maintaining the The Gap’s leafy, suburban character with just 900 new residents anticipated to live in the area over the next decade, and no plans to introduce new high density residential areas.
“The majority of the properties within the neighbourhood plan area will remain zoned as low-density residential, suitable for suburban living.
“The draft plan does support the enhancement of the The Gap Village area with some limited townhouses and units in the around the shopping centre, as well as providing opportunities for more cafes and restaurants.
“The draft plan also provides more certainty for the community about the future of undeveloped sites in the suburb, by clearly mapping what, if any, potential future development could occur on those properties, while preserving the environmental value of the land.
“Council has also proposed protections to 13 significant trees within The Gap, by adding them to the Significant Landscape Tree mapping in the draft plan.”
The neighbourhood plan will now be reviewed by the Queensland Government, before Council seeks feedback from the community about the draft document through formal consultation.
The Gap Ward Councillor Steven Toomey said the neighbourhood plan would ensure The Gap remained a clean, green and sustainable neighbourhood for future generations.
“While The Gap is expected to have extremely limited population growth over the next decade, we need to ensure that our community caters to people throughout their lives, including as they enter retirement, and this neighbourhood plan will ensure we keep the character of suburbs into the future,” he said.
“I’m pleased to see that the draft plan reflects the feedback that Council received from the community during the Community Planning Team meetings and during surveys and at community information sessions.”