Assessable development under the Planning Act
Development referred to the State is assessed by the State Assessment and Referral Agency (SARA) with the Department of Transport and Main Roads providing technical advice regarding the impacts of development on state transport interests. When assessing applications, SARA has regard to the State Development Assessment Provisions (SDAP).
The DA mapping system
The DA mapping system provides mapping layers to assist applicants to determine what matters of state interest may apply to their development site. The mapping layers are an indicative geospatial representation of the state transport referral triggers or provide other geospatial information to support interpretation of the state transport codes in SDAP.
Further information regarding state transport corridors and future state transport corridors can be found in the Public Passenger Transport Guideline (made under section 8E of the Transport Planning and Coordination Act 1994).
Supporting information for the State Development Assessment Provisions
The SDAP sets out the matters of interest to the State for development assessment, where the Director-General of the Department of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning, is responsible for assessing or deciding development applications. The following are the state codes for state transport interests:
- Development in a state-controlled road environment
- Development in a railway environment
- Development in a busway environment
- Development in a light rail environment
- Development in a state-controlled transport tunnel environment
- Protection of state transport networks
- Maritime safety
Each state code contains a purpose statement, performance outcomes and acceptable outcomes. If a development application complies with all the relevant acceptable outcomes of a code, it complies with the purpose statement of the code and therefore the code itself. If an application does not comply with one or more of the acceptable outcomes, an alternative means of meeting the performance outcomes should be proposed.
Acceptable outcomes are provided for some, but not all performance outcomes. In instances where acceptable outcome/s are not provided, a development application must demonstrate it complies with all the relevant performance outcomes and therefore the code itself.
The following guidance material has been provided to assist applicants in preparing development applications which demonstrate compliance with the State Development Assessment Provisions:
State-controlled roads
- Guide to Traffic Impact Assessment
- State Development Assessment Provisions supporting guideline: Development in a state-controlled road environment
Busway
Rail
Light Rail
State transport networks
- Guide to Traffic Impact Assessment
- State Development Assessment Provisions supporting information—Public passenger transport
Maritime Safety
Technical standards and publications
The state codes in the SDAP refer to a number of guidelines and technical standards. These policies and standards may be used by the department when reviewing development applications that are referred to us for technical advice.
The technical standards and guides page contains key documents such as:
- Guide to Traffic Impact Assessment
- Guidelines for assessment of road impacts of development
- Policy for Development on Land Affected by Environmental Emissions
- Road planning and design manual
- Road drainage manual.
The department's consent
Where development is located completely or partially over a state-controlled road, rail corridor land, or any other land held or administered by the department, the Planning Act 2016 states that a development application must be accompanied by the owner's consent.
Further information
For further information please contact:
Director (Corridor Management and Protection Unit)
Transport Strategy and Planning Branch
Department of Transport and Main Roads
Phone: (07) 3066 1431
Email: planningpolicy@tmr.qld.gov.au
- Last updated 11 August 2023