Following endorsement by Mackay Regional Council, the Mackay Waterfront PDA Development Scheme (development scheme) was approved by the Minister for Economic Development Queensland and became effective on May 24, 2019.
The development scheme is the planning document that will assist with planning, promoting, coordinating, and controlling land development within the Mackay Waterfront project area. The development scheme supports private investment by facilitating a range of development and investment opportunities across the Mackay Waterfront under a streamlined assessment process.
Some of the benefits of the development scheme include:
- Allowing for interim land uses to occur until the ultimate long-term vision can be implemented, this encourages the development industry to diversify their interests and use the land whilst preparing larger development applications, design and staged construction;
- Outlining council’s role in supporting the development industry through adjacent public realm improvements, placemaking opportunities and activation; and
- Encouraging the development industry to enter into pre-application meetings to ensure feedback is obtained early in the process and opportunities for innovation and climate responsive design outcomes are considered. Pre-application meetings are designed to ensure once lodged, all issues are already resolved, and development approvals can be provided quickly.
Most importantly, the development scheme is centred around delivering quality results for the community and is ultimately outcomes focused.
The PDA development scheme – amendment 1 was approved on February 27, 2024 and came into effect on March 1, 2024, and supersedes the previous version of the PDA development scheme which came into effect on 24 May 2019.