The Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday region is one of the fastest growing economies in Queensland. The population of the region is expected to increase by 100,000 people by 2031 (from 180,000 in 2011 to an estimated 280,000 in 2031).

This growth creates numerous opportunities and challenges relating to providing infrastructure, the economy, employment, housing, community services and the environment. It is anticipated that approximately 43,300 additional dwellings need to be built by 2031 to accommodate this growth.

The region

The Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday region covers an area of approximately 90 000 square kilometres - spanning from Bowen in the north, to St Lawrence in the south east to the Whitsunday Islands and west to the Belyando River. The region includes the following local government areas:

• Isaac Regional Council
• Mackay Regional Council
• Whitsunday Regional Council.

Regional Plan and State Planning Regulatory Provisions

The Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday Regional Plan and Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday State Planning Regulatory Provisions 2012 have been finalised and were released on 8 February 2012. These replace the Draft Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday Regional Plan and Draft Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday State Planning Regulatory Provisions 2011. A series of fact sheets provide an overview of how the regional plan relates to each of the regional councils in the Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday region.

The Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday State Planning Regulatory Provisions 2012 include regulatory mapping and controls, limiting the level of development to occur outside existing towns and areas identified for accommodating growth.

Consultation report

The regional plan and state planning regulatory provisions were released for public consultation between 25 May 2011 and 9 September 2011. The 146 submissions were carefully considered and played an integral role in the final regional plan and state planning regulatory provisions. The consultation report ( 4.2 MB) outlines the key issues raised during consultation and how they were addressed in the final regional documents.

Regional planning in Queensland

The Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday Regional Plan is part of the state government’s wider regional planning program, led by Growth Management Queensland. Queensland’s regional planning framework has been recognised as a world-class strategy for sustainable population growth.

The regional plan is also a vital component of Qplan, Queensland’s planning, development and building system. This streamlined approach to key planning activities connects the regional plan with other infrastructure and planning initiatives. These include the Queensland Regionalisation Strategy (QRS), the Queensland Infrastructure Plan (QIP) and specific regional action plans, such as My Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday: Actions for a stronger region.