Ipswich is situated at the center of the western corridor and a part of one of the fastest growing regions in Australia. The Ipswich CBD is situated 40kms west of the Brisbane CBD. The Ipswich City Council is committed to providing integrated and progressive development and growth management through the application of the Ipswich Planning Scheme and applicable legislation.
Development Planning in Ipswich regulates development in accordance with the Economic Development Act 2012, Planning Act 2016 and the Ipswich Planning Scheme. Development applications may be required for changes to existing development and for new developments. Prior to undertaking a project, it is important to determine if any development approvals are required in order to complete the project.
Development.i is Council's application and property enquiry tool. Development.i provides access to past and current application details and basic property information within the Ipswich City Council Local Government area. It is easy to stay informed about what is happening in your area, gather information to help prepare applications and make a submission or comment on an application.
For a more detailed interactive mapping tool, navigate to Ipswich City Planning Scheme mapping.
From 6 December 2021, Council began managing Infrastructure Charges through a new system known as Novoplan. The Novoplan Infrastructure Charges Register is updated on a monthly basis and as a requirement of the Planning Act 2016, includes the following information for each charge levied:
Some of the above information is captured in the Infrastructure Charges Notice that accompanies the Decision Notice and can be viewed by searching for the development application through Development.i.
The Trunk Infrastructure Charges Report includes details of infrastructure charges revenue and expenditure, and provides a summary of the trunk infrastructure provided by both developers and Council, and other details including location and whether the infrastructure is included in the Local Government Infrastructure Plan (LGIP).
The report includes additional information such as Council-delivered infrastructure projects to existing LGIP items where they are consistent with the characteristics of trunk infrastructure typically included in the LGIP. The report is published as soon as reasonably practicable after the end of each quarter in line with the amended the Regulation.
Under the Planning Act 2016, infrastructure charges revenue that is collected in monetary form is not required to be spent in the same suburb or locality where it was collected and may be used to pay for shared citywide or district level infrastructure such as an arterial road or major sports complex.
The collection of infrastructure charges may continue for many years following the delivery of significant trunk infrastructure items, or charges may be accrued over long periods of time prior to delivery.
For information about when an application needs to be publicly notified and how submissions can be made about an application please refer to the Queensland Government's factsheet by clicking on the following links:
Planning Act Submissions:
PDA (Ripley) Submissions:
To make a submission on a development application undergoing public notification, please see the Development Application Submission Form
Urban Utilities are responsible for receiving, assessing, providing advice and approving applications for connections, disconnections and alterations to their water and sewerage networks. As such, customers will need to apply directly to Urban Utilities for water and sewerage connections, disconnections and alterations.
For further information visit https://urbanutilities.com.au/development or contact the Urban Utilities' Development Services Customer Team directly on 3432 2200.
One of the Queensland Government's statutory and land use planning reforms is to return responsibility for planning and development assessment to local government. The ultimate outcome sought for the Ripley Valley Priority Development Area (PDA) is the revocation of the PDA. While the revocation process is being worked through with Ipswich City Council (ICC), development assessment and relevant administration powers have been delegated to ICC as of 30 September 2013.
From 30 September 2013, ICC is responsible for assessing any development applications. Whilst, all development applications will continue to be assessed against the Ripley Valley Development Scheme under the Economic Development Act 2012, applications should be lodged with Ipswich City Council at plandev@ipswich.qld.gov.au . The development assessment fee schedule for Ripley Valley (PDA) applications has been incorporated into Ipswich City Council's Planning and Development fees and charges. For a copy of the fees and charges, please click here .
Importantly, application lodgement for Ripley Valley Applications will be generally the same as for development applications under the Planning Act 2016, with the exception that Ripley Valley PDA Application/Lodgement Form and other Economic Development Queensland (EDQ) forms (as relevant) are required.
In order for a development application to be 'properly made' and thereby processed efficiently, it must satisfy the requirements of the Planning Act 2016. Specifically, an application must:
In addition to the above, submission of the following application lodgement forms (as applicable) will assist with ensuring the accurate lodgement of your application.
Development applications may be submitted via email, in person or via mail. To submit an application via email, simply complete the relevant application forms and submit them along with any supporting material to plandev@ipswich.qld.gov.au. Please be advised that there are data limitations for email correspondence. For more information, including access to large file transfer services, please contact Ipswich City Council on telephone 3810 6888.
Private Certifier Applications can now be lodged online, via the 'Online Services' tab at ipswich.qld.gov.au. For more information about the Private Certifier Application (Decision Notice) service, please click here.
Council is utilising a full electronic management system of development application files and where possible intends to issue most communications regarding applications electronically via notifications to the applicants nominated email address. It is important that applicants update Council for any changes to their specified email address or if they do not want to receive correspondence electronically.
One of the many benefits of receiving communications electronically from Council includes reduced delivery time of communications resulting in improved overall decision time frames.
As part of the management of all development applications, Council is also able to notify applicants when a decision has been made, via an SMS service. It is important that applicants notify Council of any changes to their specified mobile phone number.
Application fees must be paid in order for an application to be properly made. For a copy of the Planning and Regulatory Services Department fees and charges, please click here.
Application Fees can be paid in person at our customer contact centres, or via EFT. For more information, please contact us.
For other payment options, refer to Planning & Development Fee Payment on council's website.
Ipswich City Council has implemented a fast track development application process providing opportunity for an approval timeframe of up to 5 business days in certain instances.
Qualifying development applications which may fall under the new assessment timeframes include those which:
Minor forms of development include the following:
No special requirements exist for applicants to lodge a potential fast track application. All applications will be accepted using the existing lodgement methods via, electronic lodgement submission, in person lodgements or mailed lodgements. Council will automatically determine whether an application qualifies for fast track assessment upon its receipt.
Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate that no state agency referrals are triggered for their application by including the necessary referrals checklists and ensure all relevant information addressing development constraints has been provided .
Enquiries can be administered by telephone or email. They are intended to give you an opportunity to briefly discuss broad development concepts in relation to a particular site with a Council town planner. They are limited in length and should assist in identifying zoning, mapped planning scheme constraints and broad planning intentions for the land as indicated in the planning scheme. The advice you receive over the phone or in an email from the duty officer should not be substituted for independent professional advice or a comprehensive due diligence process.
To supplement enquiries, pre-lodgement meetings are intended to discuss a particular development proposal for a specific site in more detail. The purpose of pre-lodgement meetings is to reduce development assessment timeframes by identifying likely 'information request' items, which can be addressed prior to application lodgement. Pre-lodgement meetings should be held once you have formulated a development proposal which you feel is compliant with the town plan and other relevant legislation. Development proponents are encouraged to discuss their intentions with Council prior to lodgement, especially for more complex applications.
It should be noted that a number of Council officers from different branches or departments may be required to provide information for the meeting. To enable Council officers to provide detailed, accurate advice, and to gain the most benefit from a pre-lodgement meeting, the following details are requested to be submitted to Council at least a week before the meeting:
Note: Pre-lodgement meetings are offered as a free service by the Development Planning Branch, and as such meeting minutes are not distributed following the pre-lodgement meeting. However, you are welcome (and encouraged) to take your own meeting minutes. Again, pre-lodgement meetings should not be substituted for independent professional advice or a comprehensive due diligence process.
We do not offer pre-lodgement meetings for the types of development listed below. These types of development are treated as general planning and development enquiries, please refer to the FAQs in the first instance or contact us for further information.
To book a pre-lodgement meeting with Ipswich City Council, complete an online request.
Please be advised that the Planning and Regulatory Services Department have electronic facilities available in our meeting rooms with up to date aerial photography and information on services and constraints. These facilities can be useful in presenting and analysing information in respect to development sites and development proposals .