Ipswich City Plan 2025 Cheat-Sheet

Ipswich City Plan at a Glance:

Scheme: New rulebook replacing 2006 scheme, effective 1 July 2025, governing zoning and land uses citywide.
Growth: Plans for 100,000 new homes and population of 660,000+, guiding suburb growth citywide.
Funding: Backed by $2.22 billion LGIP funding to build trunk roads, parks, community hubs through 2046.
Process: Clear Accepted, Code and Impact pathways promise faster approvals, cutting red tape for compliant projects.

📜 New Rules Kick-in 1 July 2025

📊 BY THE NUMBERS

Population: 237,550 residents in 2021 → ultimate capacity 662,158
Housing: 86,581 dwellings in 2021 → 251,314 at build-out (+164,733)
Jobs: 74,454 jobs in 2021 → 318,477 at full development
Non-Residential Floor Area: 4.73 million m² GFA now → 21.03 million m² ultimate
LGIP Spend: $1.38 B transport + $821 M parks + $19.26 M community hubs = $2.22 B trunk infrastructure program
Community Hubs Funded: 7 multi-purpose hubs for $19.26 M
Key Road Upgrades: Redbank Plains Rd four-lane upgrade $40.46 M & Springfield–Greenbank Arterial Stage 3 $37.65 M (costed for 2024 delivery)
Cycling Network: 80 km+ of principal cycle routes planned
Planning Horizon: all trunk projects costed through to 2046

Keep this cheat-sheet handy—978 pages of planning jargon boiled down to what hits your wallet, your street and your backyard.

If you want the entire report, here’s where it lives:

View 2025 Ippy Planning Scheme here

1. What Is It & Why Bother?

Replaces the 2006 planning scheme and takes legal effect 1 July 2025.
Controls where you can build, what you can use land for, and how tall, noisy or busy anything can be.
Council will judge every post-1 July development application against these new rules — knowing them avoids redesign fees and weeks of delay.
Built to handle about 165,000 extra dwellings and ≈ 660,000 residents at full build-out (yes, these are the real numbers from the scheme).

2. Five-Step Quick-Check Before
You Design or Lodge

Map Viewer – Ipswich City Planning Scheme

Find your lot on the zone map and every overlay map (e-Plan map viewer).
Name the use — Pick one:
- - Dwelling House – one detached home on a single lot.
  - Secondary Dwelling / Granny Flat – self-contained unit ≤ 80 m² on the same title.
  - Dual Occupancy – two homes (attached or detached) on one lot.
  - Multiple Dwelling – three or more homes (townhouses or apartments) on one lot.
  - Home-Based Business – up to 80 m² run by a resident, limited staff / traffic.
  - Shop – selling goods or groceries direct to the public.
  - Food & Drink Outlet – café, takeaway or restaurant.
  - Office – professional or administrative services.
  - Service Station – fuel retail with an associated shop.
Open Part 5 tables to see if the project is Accepted, Code-assessable, Impact-assessable or Prohibited.
Collect every code the table lists (zone, overlay, use, subdivision, earthworks, etc.).
If any step says Impact-assessable, budget for public notice and a planning report; neighbours can lodge submissions and appeals.

3. Zones Made Simple (16 total)

Five Centre zones — Principal, Major, District, Local, Neighbourhood; retail, offices, cafés and apartments belong here.
Five Residential zones — Low-Density or Character homes up to High-Density towers.
Rural & Township — farming, big blocks and village-scale mixed uses.
Industry zones — Low-Impact, Medium-Impact & Investigation; heavy industry stays at Swanbank, New Chum and Ebenezer.
Environmental & Recreation — conservation land, parks, sport fields; urban uses are red-flagged.
Mixed-Use flavour inside some Centres lets apartments sit over cafés in the CBD, Springfield Central and Ripley.

4. Overlay Alerts (extra hoops)

OV1 Biodiversity — clearing native vegetation triggers the Biodiversity Code.
OV2 Waterways & Wetlands — riparian setbacks and water-quality rules.
OV3 Character Places & Areas — pre-1946 demolition controls and façade checks.
OV5 Growth Management — stages green-field estates to match services.
OV6 Building Height & Density — height caps and floor-area ratios can override zone defaults.
OV7A/B Airspace & Defence — height limits near RAAF Amberley and flight paths.
OV8 Flood Hazard — sets minimum floor heights and limits earth-fill.
OV9 Bushfire Prone — BAL construction and emergency-access rules for rural-edge lots.
Plus Mining Influence, Landslip, Noise Corridors and other niche overlays in Part 5.9.

5. Numeric Rules Home-Owners Ask About

Max building height for a house/duplex: 9.5 m to roof peak (unless OV6 allows more).
Site cover: 60 % for normal houses; 75 % for terrace-style infill in New-Suburban precincts and Centres.
Setbacks: Queensland Development Code MP 1.1-1.3 by default; some precincts require a 3 m front setback and built-to-boundary garages.
Station-hub “urban neighbourhoods” around Ripley & Springfield can reach up to 10 storeys (via OV6).
Tip: always double-check the Height & Density Map (OV6) — it overrides everything above.

6. Getting Approval – The Four Buckets

Accepted development — build to the “Required Outcomes”, keep evidence.
Code-assessable — lodge drawings + code compliance report; no neighbour notice.
Impact-assessable — public notice and specialist reports; community can submit and appeal.
Prohibited — don’t bother.
Hierarchy tip: State planning rules and the Strategic Framework trump local codes, so read from top down.

7. Housing Tweaks You’ll Notice

Granny flats remain allowed; on-site parking and façade rules are simplified.
Tiny homes, duplexes & build-to-rent have clearer pathways, especially near Ripley and Springfield stations.
Narrow “villa/terrace” lots get set size & frontage standards and must sit near parks and centres.

8. Centres Hierarchy – Shop & Service Network

Principal Centres: Ipswich CBD (both river banks) & Springfield Central — tallest buildings and major civic jobs.
Major Centres: Booval, Yamanto.
District Centres: Brassall, Redbank Plaza, Ripley Town Centre, others.
Local/Neighbourhood Centres: daily-needs hubs dotted through suburbs.
New supermarkets over 750 m² outside the right tier are blocked to protect main streets.

9. The “Transect” – City in One Line

Natural ranges → Rural landscapes → Historic townships → Suburban neighbourhoods → Urban neighbourhoods → Enterprise & Industry areas → Vibrant Centres.

10. Infrastructure & Your Wallet (LGIP)

Local Government Infrastructure Plan maps more than $1 billion in trunk transport works up to 2046.
Charges fund upgrades; subdividing or building multi-units means paying your share.
Key commitments include an Ipswich–Springfield rapid-transit corridor, new community hubs at Yamanto, Bundamba & Walloon, and 80 km+ of principal cycle routes.

11. Greener & Tougher by Design

Large builds must set aside 15 % deep-soil area for mature trees and install water-wise fittings.
Flood-prone works need “float-friendly” materials and raised services.
Creeks & bush corridors (Bremer, Brisbane, Six Mile) now have wider buffers — expect larger setbacks.

12. Jobs, Industry & Special Uses

Heavy-industry at Swanbank, New Chum & Ebenezer is locked in; buying nearby means living with noise and odour.
Defence, hospitals and the Ipswich Motorsport Precinct are flagged “special uses” and have tailored buffers.

13. What Do I Do Next?

On (or before) 1 July open Council’s e-Plan viewer → search your address → note your zone + overlays.