The Toowoomba Railway Parklands Priority Development Area development scheme (Scheme) was approved by the Queensland Government on 28 January 2016. It follows the declaration of the Toowoomba Railway Parklands as a priority development area (PDA) in December 2014.
The Scheme applies to all development on the 51.3 hectares of land within the boundaries of the PDA and it replaces the Toowoomba Railway Parklands PDA Interim Land Use Plan.
The preferred outcomes of the Scheme are to deliver:
- 8.6ha of urban parkland network (17% of PDA lands);
- 25.7ha of urban renewal (50% of PDA lands, comprising a combined capacity and projected yield of 3,770 residential dwelling units and a combined capacity and projected yield of 52,000m2 commercial floor space); and
- 17ha of future potential road area (33% of PDA lands)
As the name of the Scheme suggests, the PDA is centred on the operational Toowoomba rail yards (with the intention for the railway line to remain operational) and the surrounding areas immediately north of Toowoomba's central business district. There are a number of historically important sites and features contained within the PDA area including the Toowoomba railway station, former Defiance Flour Mill, Carlton House, Toowoomba Trade Hall and Toowoomba Foundry. Overall, the Scheme seeks to adapt and re-use buildings and sites of heritage value and cultural significance.
The Scheme's land use plan identifies PDA-wide criteria that apply to all PDA assessable development as well as criteria specific to each of the five PDA precincts. PDA assessable development must demonstrate how it is consistent with the PDA vision, PDA-wide criteria and precinct provisions. The Scheme suggests that this occur through a PDA preliminary approval or Plan of Development.
Fourteen specific types of development (such as cemetery, detention facility, high and medium impact industry and outdoor sales) and all rural activities are categorised as prohibited development across all precincts of the PDA. A range of uses are prescribed as exempt development for all precincts, namely where development is within an existing building and no additional GFA is proposed for a PDA significant heritage site or, otherwise, no more than 25m2 additional floor space is proposed for an existing building.
The Scheme provides for a PDA development application to be publicly notified in the following circumstances:
- when the subject PDA land is adjacent to existing residential zoned land outside the PDA, and exceed permissible height under the Scheme (the nominated building heights showing either 2 or 6 storeys with a clear indication that building height greater than 10 storeys will not be supported); or
- where proposed development exceeds permissible floor space for business activities nominated within the Scheme; or
- where proposed development will result in the demolition or removal of a PDA significant heritage place identified within the Scheme.
All future development applications within the PDA will now be assessed against the Scheme under the Economic Development Act 2012 and development assessment powers have been delegated from the Minister for Economic Development Queensland to the Toowoomba Regional Council.
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