Townsville City Council has achieved a significant milestone by deciding on 100 per cent of the four major types of development applications, Material Change of Use, Reconfiguration of a Lot, Operational Works and Building Works, within the required legislative timeframes in the fourth quarter of 2022/23.
By expediting development applications in relation to new commercial, residential, industrial developments, subdividing lots, engineering works, building development and plan of survey, Council is helping the development industry kick start developments to help stimulate job growth and investment.
Council has successfully reduced the average decision timeframe across the four development application types to 21 business days, where the planning legislation provides up to 45 business days.
Planning and Development Committee chairperson Mark Molachino highlighted the accomplishment ranked Council as a top performer in Queensland.
"Council's commitment to improving application timeframes is critical to growing Townsville, enabling developers to progress with projects faster and helping them save significant costs by starting construction sooner. It's a commitment to building stronger relationships with stakeholders and stimulating economic growth across Townsville," Cr Molachino said.
"Streamlining application timeframes lines up with Council's Affordable Housing Action Plan, which aims to fast track residential development progress to make affordable housing more accessible for Townsville residents.
"Council has been able to meet this target by engaging with our customers, working alongside the development industry to achieve better project outcomes and promoting development within the region.
"This is a huge achievement for Council, as there are very few local governments that meet 100 per cent of its development application timeframes. We're very proud to meet this threshold and are looking forward to continuing working with developers to help grow the city."
