Ipswich Strategy - Planning Context

The development of the Strategy has been underpinned by the visions and outcomes of the South East Queensland Regional Plan and Ipswich 2020 and Beyond. In these projects, community members, business and governments worked together to develop their view of what Ipswich should be. The strategy has strived to continue to build on these visions, culminating in a range of actions and catalytic projects.

Regional planning context -
South East Queensland Regional Plan

The South East Queensland Regional Plan identifies Ipswich City as a major new urban growth corridor, taking advantage of land suitable for residential, business and industry development. It is intended that this corridor will relieve environmental pressures on coastal parts of the region. Considerable growth is anticipated to occur in the region with the forecast population to be around 318,000 people by 2026.

Identified challenges in the Western Corridor include the timely delivery of infrastructure to lead planned growth and sustain the creation of new job opportunities. The plan also identifies key needs for the area as:

• providing a range of housing choice and employment opportunities
• promoting sustainable development practices that protect the environmental values and scenic amenity of the area
• a need and opportunity to revitalise the Ipswich City Centre and take advantage of its unique cultural and built heritage.

Local Planning Context -
Ipswich 2020 and Beyond and River Heart

The key focus of local planning policy is to emphasise the role of Ipswich as the key regional centre for the western part of the South East Queensland region. Numerous strategies are in place to move toward realising a vision of this. Key directions of the Ipswich planning policy include:

• creating a city "living room" in the CBD, by developing it as a focal point of recreation, entertainment and leisure activities
• creating a city wide housing strategy that allows for a diversity of accommodation, including a diversity of accommodation in the central areas of the city
• providing a transport strategy that is integrated and efficient
• fostering development of cultural and human services
• developing the city as a major employment centre for the Western sub region of South East Queensland
• creating urban spaces that are valued and conserved by the local community.