The Planning and Environment Court’s determination in Fairmont Group Pty Ltd v Moreton Bay Regional [2018] QPEC 20, which held that ‘exempt clearing work’ can be made assessable under a planning scheme, is having wide-ranging impacts on all industries including resources, agriculture and development.
Fairmont Group Pty Ltd sought declarations about its right to clear land identified as ‘Category X’ under the Vegetation Management Act 1999 (Qld) (VMA) (land that is not otherwise identified as containing any significant vegetation for the purposes of the VMA).
In an extraordinary decision with wide-ranging impacts, the Planning and Environment Court has determined that a development approval may be required to clear Category X land, notwithstanding that it is “’exempt clearing work” ‘ under the Planning Regulation 2017 (Regulation).
The Queensland Government has recently begun the community engagement stage of preparing the Solar Farm Guidelines, which it hopes to finalise in the second half of 2018.
Recently, the Valuer-General began issuing statutory valuations for all land in Queensland. Deductions for site improvements now apply for all land valued using the Site Value methodology, which is all residential and commercial land that is not zoned rural. Farmers may be eligible for the farming concession.
Earlier this month, the Valuer-General issued statutory land valuation notices for all land, including commercial and residential land, in various local government areas throughout Queensland. The effective date of the valuations is 30 June 2018 and will be the basis for determining your rates and any land tax for FY18/19.
This alert will be relevant to all landowners, developers and utility operators who carry out development in Queensland. The Queensland Government recently released an Issues Paper proposing key changes to the existing Cultural Heritage Duty of Care Guidelines under the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003 (Qld) (the Act). The Government is inviting submissions that must be made by 1 June 2017.
If your house or property has suffered damage during a recent storm event, before the rebuild it is important that you understand the building and planning laws that may regulate your repairs.
The Valuer-General’s annual land valuations were officially released on 8 March 2017. The valuations reflect new property values in affected areas from 1 October 2016.
Tenants under old commercial leases may now be obliged to pay land tax imposed on or after 30 June 2010.
Vegetation clearing laws are complex and failure to comply with them can be costly.
The recent Supreme Court decision in Trevorrow v Council of the City of the Gold Coast [2017] QSC 12, serves as a cautionary tale for landowners who consent to a development application involving their land where the application is made by a third party.