Natural Places
Rural Living Areas
Rural Townships
Rural Places
What makes up a Natural Place?
While predominantly consisting of national parks, state forests and reserves, Natural Places also include privately owned land that share similar characteristics. Although Natural Places defined under the Planning Scheme contain steep escarpments and valleys, the areas often border the fringes of existing urban areas and are prone to hazards including bushfire, landslide and flooding. New residential development in these areas has being limited to existing lots only. Under the draft Planning Scheme, a number of activities can occur in Natural Places including boutique rural industries, tourism, outdoor recreation and nature based ventures, although any new development must maintain the values and characteristics of the local area. New developments must also adhere to strict guidelines to ensure the safety of people and property.
Urban Neighbourhoods
Town Centres
Housing types
Environmental Management
Providing for appropriate rural and boutique industries that are consistent with the environmental values of the surrounding area. While some residential activity and rural uses do exist, the primary focus on land usage is centred around nature based tourism and outdoor recreation activities.
Community Vision
Bushland
Are existing hamlet settlements in a natural landscape setting. The Scheme fosters a mix of residential, scale homes based business, tourism and boutique accommodation uses with a small scale village character such as Ballard, Upper Flagstone, Flagstone and Silver Ridge.
What is allowed to take place in Natural Places? • Residential dwellings including secondary dwellings such as rural workers and caretakers accommodation. • Nature based tourism ventures and short term accommodation. • Environmental and outdoor recreation facilities. • Home based business.
Specific Use Places
Natural Places
Desired form and character
Including national parks, state forests and protected environmental and conservation lands. The draft Planning Scheme allows for low impact recreation and natural resource activities to occur.
Environmental conservation
The draft Planning Scheme has been divided into six categories including Specific Use Places, Town Centres, Urban Neighbourhoods, Suburban Neighbourhoods, Rural Places and Natural Places.
Suburban Neighbourhoods
The preferred dwelling type under the draft Planning Scheme for Natural Places consists of single level detached houses. When forming part of a tourist activity, live/work structures may be considered. The Lockyer Valley is a valley of places with a strong connection to its land and natural resources that foster our Growing Lifestyle. With growth projected to increase by 3 per cent each year, the use of smart growth principles within the Lockyer Valley Planning Scheme will ensure we are able to protect and preserve the aesthetic and natural beauty of the Lockyer Valley for generations to come. The Scheme respects our cultural heritage and protects the unique and distinct qualities of the region ensuring the right development occurs in the right location. The Scheme allows Council to preserve the region’s prime agricultural land and to be selective in the type of development allowed to take place adjoining some of the most rich and fertile soils in the world. A Growing lifestyle will allow growth to occur promoting development which is characteristic of our rural townships while at the same time maintaining the beautiful and rich rural lifestyle that makes the Lockyer Valley the region of choice for vibrant rural living.