FAQs

The local plan area is broadly bounded by Branyan Drive, Sutherland Road, Cummins Road, Samuels Road, Childers Road, Bonna Road and Bartholdt Drive. 

Most land within this identified growth area is included within the Emerging community zone under the planning scheme to protect the area from premature and unplanned development until local structure planning is completed by Council.

Branyan is conveniently located close to the Bundaberg Central Business District (CBD) and Sugarland activity centres, the Bundaberg Regional Airport, Bundaberg Recreational Precinct, CQUniversity and the new hospital site. 

With increased development applications and enquiries in the area and ongoing development pressure for urban growth, there is a need to undertake local planning for Branyan. 

The local area planning seeks to ensure that development proceeds in a logical manner with appropriate infrastructure and services in place, while protecting existing land uses and environmental features. This local planning is supported by Council’s planning scheme (adopted in 2015) and the former Wide Bay Burnett Regional Plan 2011 which designates Branyan as an identified growth area. 

Given that important infrastructure and services, including water and sewerage will need to be extended to service this future growth, development is expected to continue to occur from the north, and then across the larger landholdings east and west of Arcadia Park. As such, the area is expected to experience only gradual change over time, with many areas unlikely to be required for urban growth and therefore not expected to experience significant change over the next 20+ years. It is likely that development will occur in a manner identified in the Indicative Sequencing Plan below.

The area of land bounded by Samuels Road, Sutherland Road (and McCoys Creek), Paradise Lane and Childers Road locates within the buffer area for the Bundaberg (University Drive) Waste Management Facility. 

This 500m buffer surrounding the waste management facility is already identified within Council’s planning scheme to ensure that development avoids compromising the integrity and operational efficiency of the facility and protects the amenity, health and safety of people and property within the buffer area. 

The current planning scheme and proposed planning scheme policy seek to protect land within this buffer area from fragmentation and inappropriate land uses (e.g., residential activities and other sensitive land uses) while the waste management facility remains in operation. 

This land within the buffer area is ultimately expected to accommodate urban development once the facility reaches its design life and ceases operation with a future settlement pattern and land use structure identified for this area within the proposed planning scheme policy. 

Should development propose a sensitive land use or reconfiguring a lot within the buffer area while the facility is still in operation, the proposal will need to demonstrate it will not be adversely affected by noise and other emissions from the facility and will not adversely impact on the facility’s operation. This may include the submission of an environmental assessment report prepared by a suitably qualified consultant that includes an assessment of potential noise and other amenity impacts including dust and odour. 

Branyan benefits from its proximity to employment and industry opportunity including Bundaberg City and supporting activity centres (e.g., Sugarland Shopping Centre), industrial land in the vicinity of Kensington and Thabeban, the regional airport, CQUniversity, and the new hospital site.

As well as protecting existing industry and agricultural land uses within the local plan area, the local plan designates areas for neighbourhood activity centres which seek to accommodate small-scale ‘‘top-up’’ convenience shopping, local food and drink outlets, offices, community activities and other uses which directly support the basic convenience needs of the immediate community. Neighbourhood activity centres may include permanent and short-term accommodation (up to 3 storeys), provided that residential accommodation forms part of a mixed use development with active (non-residential) frontages maintained at street level. 

The local plan also designates land for a specialised activity centre along the frontage of Childers Road in the vicinity of Samuels Road and south of Norgrove Road providing for a range of large floor plate retail uses (e.g., showrooms, garden centres, hardware and trade supplies, outdoor sales) that benefit from high levels of accessibility and visibility to Childers Road. Other business uses including food and drink outlets and low impact or service industry uses may also establish within this specialised activity centre. Limited residential uses may establish (i.e., short term accommodation, student accommodation) to provide accommodation in proximity to CQUniversity and the airport. Any proposal would need to demonstrate that the development will not be adversely affected by noise and other emissions from the waste management facility. The specialised activity centre has a maximum building height of 2 storeys and 11m. 

This local planning was prepared in conjunction with infrastructure planning which informs future trunk and important non-trunk development infrastructure required to service future growth within the locality, including:  

• Roads and intersections which seek to improve connectivity within and external to the local plan area, ensure the safe and efficient functioning of major roads, and protect the amenity of the existing rural residential neighbourhood at Arcadia Park.
• Pathway networks which co-locate alongside watercourse corridors (where practicable) and connect residential neighbourhoods to planned activity centres, Branyan Road State School, CQUniversity and public open space. 
• Local and neighbourhood parks, slightly realigned and reduced in number from the current Local Government Infrastructure Plan (LGIP) to better co-locate with green corridors of public open space, reinforcing the natural amenity of Branyan and prioritising quality over quantity for the provision of parks. 
• Planning for water and sewer networks to service future growth of the local plan area. 

The local plan includes a schedule and mapping of proposed trunk infrastructure (roads and intersections, stormwater, pathways, parks, water and sewer) which will be incorporated within the planning scheme through a future planning scheme amendment. 

With the exception of development within the large lot/ rural residential precincts, new development within the local plan area is expected to be serviced by urban infrastructure, including reticulated water supply and sewerage.

Housing supply, choice and affordability remains a critical issue across the Bundaberg Region with an ageing and changing population. The proposed policy seeks to facilitate a diverse range of housing choice and sizes to meet the needs of different household types. 

The proposed structure plan concept predominantly provides for low density residential development (e.g., dwelling houses and dual occupancy development). Low density residential development provides for a net residential density of between 10 – 15 dwellings per hectare for residential subdivision with a minimum lot size of 400m². For other residential activities (e.g., retirement facilities), development provides for a net residential density of up to 25 equivalent dwellings per hectare. 

The proposed structure plan concept also designates some areas for medium density residential development to provide a gentle density of housing choice within walking distance to planned activity centres. This gentle density focuses on slightly increasing the number and variety of homes through alternative housing types such as integrated small lot housing, multiple dwellings (e.g., row or terrace housing, low-rise apartments / units) and retirement facilities. Medium density residential development provides for a net residential density of not less than 30 equivalent dwellings per hectare (up to a maximum of 50 equivalent dwellings per hectare) with a maximum building height of 3 storeys and 11m. 

The proposed policy seeks to maintain the existing character and amenity of established rural residential neighbourhoods which locate within the Rural residential zone such as Arcadia Drive, Tranquil Avenue, Coolmunda Court and Bush Road. These neighbourhoods are proposed to be retained as larger lifestyle lots, generally not further subdivided (minimum lot size 1 ha). 

The proposed policy also designates land for future rural residential development south of Tranquil Avenue providing for large residential lots with a minimum lot size of 4000m², except where it can be demonstrated that lots smaller than 4000m² (not less than 2000m²) are warranted or appropriate having regard to lot design, site constraints and amenity outcomes, and provided that the development achieves an average lot size of not less than 4000m².