South East Queensland is being adversely affected by its popularity as a place to live. The rapid population growth is impacting on the quality of life and causing loss of green space, locally and regionally. Development is overtaking the natural environment with fringe urban dwellers often facing long travel times to reach amenities and employment.
At the same time, areas of natural beauty such as the Glasshouse Mountains, Pumicestone Passage, Springbrook and Mount Tamborine are difficult to protect under the existing planning system. Increasing fragmentation is eroding these natural areas that we should protect for future generations both for their natural and cultural values and for recreational enjoyment.
Fragmentation of the landscape is a problem for coastal local governments. At current rates of loss of the rural landscape and development trends, some local governments are likely to be ~Anotwall-to-wall~A(R) suburbia within 100 years.
The Regional Landscape Strategy (RLS) is the primary whole-of-government instrument for addressing this loss of regional green space. The Strategy is essentially one of coordination and facilitation of sustainability that balances protection of natural systems with community wellbeing and development.
The Regional Landscape Strategy is a voluntary mechanism and relies on support from public and private bodies. So far the RLS Advisory committee has built over 80 partnerships with government and community bodies to develop and demonstrate new approaches to protecting the regional landscape.
To that end, this Discussion Paper has been prepared to explore some of the issues and options for South East Queensland (SEQ) over the next twenty years and invites comment and support from all organisations and residents committed to protecting SEQ.