Brisbane City Council retirement living and aged care planning incentives

BCC has reduced infrastructure charges by 33 per cent for retirement and aged care accommodation developments that are “compliant” with the City Plan 2014 and demonstrate a “quality living environment that is fit for purpose and provides design quality”. The following table provides a comparison between existing and reduced BCC charges for qualifying developments.

The 33 per cent reduction only applies to BCC charges. Charges administered by Queensland Urban Utilities (QUU) for water and sewerage networks are not the subject of an incentive for a reduction. 

The BCC reduction is available for development approvals given between 1 September 2016 and 31 December 2019. An infrastructure agreement is required to be entered into with BCC to reduce the charges and must be completed prior to the development commencing operation. Whilst the details have not yet been released by BCC a commitment to commencing operation within a certain timeframe is expected to be included in the infrastructure agreement.

Amendments will be made to the Brisbane City Plan 2014 (City Plan) to help streamline development applications for upgrading or developing new retirement living or aged care facilities, including:

• the creation of a planning code that would specify greater building height on large sites
• lowering the level of assessment to code assessment for retirement/aged care facilities in the following zones:
  • Community facilities (major health care zone precinct and Community purposes zone precinct);
  • Specialised centre zone (major education and research facility zone precinct);
  • Low density residential, where the development complies with building height outcomes
  • Low-medium density residential, where the development complies with existing building height outcomes.
• increasing allowable building heights by two storeys as code assessable in the Medium and High Density Residential Zones.
• opportunities for co-location of retirement/aged care facilities on privately owned sport and recreation zoned land (e.g. golf courses and bowls clubs).
• lowering the level of assessment for conversion of retirement facilities (or parts thereof) to aged care facilities to self-assessment.

The proposed amendments to the City Plan will be released for public consultation in late 2016/early 2017, with formal amendments expected to be adopted by the end of 2017.

Our Property Economics and Research team has further insights on the aged care and retirement market.

For further information or to discuss any aspect of the above, please contact one of our experts.