Neighbourhood Plan on the way for Morayfield

The Morayfield community will be encouraged to have input into the Moreton Bay Region’s second Neighbourhood Plan when it launches on April 19.

The Morayfield Neighbourhood Plan, which will explore how the area can better accommodate planned urban growth, will cover parts of Caboolture South, Morayfield and Upper Caboolture.

It excludes the Caboolture West and Morayfield South growth areas, which are being addressed through separate planning processes.

Cr Tony Latter (Div 12) told the March 30 Council meeting the neighbourhood plan was an opportunity to shape the area’s future.

Get involved

“With a lot of growth in that area, it’s important that we do the planning to protect the surrounding areas,” Cr Latter said.

“I do encourage residents to engage in this process because that’s the way to have their say and also steer the way that the Morayfield area grows in the future and deals with the growth that we are seeing in that area.”

Council planning director David Corkill said the purpose of neighbourhood plans was to focus on areas that were going to undergo significant change and to identify planning scheme changes that might be needed.

Acting Mayor Jodie Shipway said it was important to remember that a Neighbourhood Plan was not focused on beautification, but rather on overseeing how an area would be developed.

Planning for the future

Councillor Adam Hain (Div 3) said the plan aimed to protect the local community and was a chance to “dig down a bit deeper on the design and outcomes for the area over the next 10-20 years”.

The launch will begin the first phase of community engagement for the project, with the plan expected to be completed late next year.

The neighbourhood plan project was previously referred to as the Caboolture South-Morayfield Neighbourhood Plan, but a council officers’ report said because most of the plan area covered Morayfield and to avoid confusion with other planning projects in Caboolture West and Morayfield South growth areas, it was recommended the plan name be changed.

The report said the area is expected to experience high growth to 2031 and from 2031 to 2041, there is significant infrastructure investment planned and there are large areas of ageing housing stock and some large developable lots.

As well, it said connecting infrastructure associated with the development of Caboolture West and Morayfield South emerging communities was likely to have a significant impact on the area.

The project launch will include a website launch and community survey, consultation and seek community member nominations to be part of a Community Reference Group.

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