Population size, housing density and housing location are emerging as key elements of the discussion of the upcoming 2015 Redland City Plan.
Redland City Council has started community information sessions about issues such as economic development and land use ahead of the official part of the City Plan consultation next year.
Projected increases in population and providing a diversity of housing for that increased population will require responses from the community during this process.
The state government lays down the overreaching guidelines for the plan, which Redland City Council must follow when it develops the plans. The challenge will be to gain community direction on what it wants the city to look like and what type of housing mix it needs to fulfil its needs for the next 25 years.
What will emerge from this process will be a debate on whether more land should made available for housing or growth is managed within the existing areas. The area allocated for housing and other development such as industrial land is known an the urban footprint.
Some of the projected increased population for the Redlands could be accommodated within the urban print, so there is some room for growth in the existing land use plan. For example, some existing housing blocks could be redeveloped as units and there are pockets of land within existing suburbs that have yet to be built on (infill development).
However, beyond that, Redland City people will need to give an opinion on whether they want more density (apartments/units/smaller blocks) or if they want new areas to be opened up.
Traditionally, Redlands has had about 80 per cent of its housing as separate (detached) housing, but the view from the planners, policy makers and developers is that there is going to be an increased need for more diversity of housing types in the years ahead. This is because of suggestions that more people will want smaller homes either as attached or semi-detached to suit their family and lifestyle circumstances.
The challenge for the City Plan consultation process will be to reconcile the community's wishes with what state government sees as the necessary outcome.
Could Redland City dare to be different?
