Studies and Superseded Planning Schemes

The Major Amendment to the Whitsunday Planning Scheme commenced 3 October 2023, creating Version 4.7 of the Planning Scheme. This amendment superseded Version 3.9 of the Planning Scheme (Planning Scheme Policy - Development Manual Amendment). The ability to undertake a superseded planning scheme request will expire 3 October 2024 in accordance with section 29(3) of the Planning Act 2016. 

• Whitsunday Planning Scheme 2017 Version 3.9 

The following documents are historical Planning Schemes for reference purposes only and do not constitute superseded Planning Schemes for the purposes of section 29 of the Planning Act 2016.

• Whitsunday Shire Planning Scheme 2009

The Whitsunday Shire Planning Scheme was adopted on 17 December 2008, having effect on 9 January 2009.

The Whitsunday Shire Planning Scheme is used to effectively manage development outcomes within the Shire, considering future growth and needs and ensuring that:

• The shire’s unique natural open space, climatic, rural and scenic attributes are maintained and protected;
• Local communities are developed to be functional, efficient, attractive and safe with convenient access to community, recreational and cultural services and infrastructure;
• The risk of natural hazards is appropriately managed to reduce potential impacts on people, property and the environment; and
• The local and regional economy grows and diversifies in a manner consistent with the shire’s character and amenity and the sustainable use of the areas resources and infrastructure.

Click to view:

• Whitsunday Shire Planning Scheme Zoning maps (PDF, 2.1MB)

Whitsunday Shire Planning Scheme Overlay Maps

• Conservation Areas – Essential Habitat (PDF, 11MB)
• Economic Resources (PDF, 3.7MB)
• Economic Resources – GQAL (PDF, 2.1MB)
• Economic Resources – Dam Catchment (PDF, 1.3MB)
• Natural Hazards – Acid Sulphate Soils (PDF, 695KB)
• Natural Hazards – Bushfire Risk Analysis (PDF, 950KB)
• Natural Resources – Flood Event (PDF, 1.8MB)
• Natural Resources – Airlie Creek Flood (PDF, 9.2MB)
• Natural Resources – Proserpine Flood (PDF, 17.8MB)
• Natural Resources – Storm tide A (PDF, 716KB)
• Natural Resources – Storm tide B (PDF, 286KB)
• Special Management Area – Bushfire Risk (PDF, 95.7MB)
• Tourism Zone – Hamilton Island (PDF, 908KB)
• Bowen Planning Scheme 2006 (PDF, 2.3MB)

The Bowen Shire Planning scheme was adopted on the 31 May 2006, having effect on 1 June 2006.

The objective of the Bowen Shire Planning Scheme is to strategically plan for the enhancement and future of the region, whilst effectively managing development. This planning scheme has been developed to:

• Protect the values of the Shire’s natural environment, including coastal areas, wetlands, beaches, headlands, waterways and areas of significant native vegetation.
• Ensure growth and community development is facilitated and responsive to the changing demographic of the shire, promoting equity in access to services and infrastructure;
• Reduce the risks of natural hazards to people, property and environment; and
• Protect the economic values of natural resources including good quality agricultural land, extractive and mineral resources, vegetation and water

Click to view:

• Bowen Planning Scheme 2006 Maps [PDF, 2.21MB]
• Bowen Planning Scheme 2006 Zoning Maps [PDF, 2.91MB]
• Bowen Planning Scheme 2006 Overlay Maps [PDF, 6.90MB]
• Bowen Shire Storm Surge Study 2004 [PDF, 813KB]
• Bowen Shire Storm Surge Study 2004 - Attachments & Figures [PDF, 47.8MB]
• Bowen Shire Storm Surge Study 2004 - Mapping (adopted in 2015) [PDF, 11.4MB]
• Bowen Planning Scheme Temporary Local Planning Instrument 02/2013 (Bowen Flooding and Storm Tide Regulation)
• Developmental Manual Whitsunday Shire Scheme 2009
• Drainage drawings
• Road drawings
• Water drawings
• Sewer drawings
• Parks drawings

Planning Scheme

• Airlie Beach Access & Movement Plan
• Airlie Beach Structure Plan
• Proserpine to Airlie Beach Growth Study 2021
• Proserpine to Airlie Beach Structure Plan 2021
• PSA Airlie Beach Car Parking Study Note: this study was updated in April 2019 to amend a miscalculation in the total number of parks within the Central Lagoon Car Park. No recommendations changed as a result of this amendment.
• Whitsunday Region Economic and Population Study 2013
• Whitsunday Region Economic and Population Study 2018 Note: this study was updated in April 2019 to amend an error in the Region's Community and Industrial floorspace calculations. 
• Whitsunday Region Economic and Population Study 2021 (will inform next Planning Scheme Major amendment and LGIP amendments). 
• 2014 Urban Growth Study
• Whitsunday Coast Airport International Export Hub Master Plan and Feasibility Study
• Proserpine Sustainability and Future Growth Master Plan
• Whitsunday Scenic Amenity Study

There are also several ancillary documents that support the Planning Scheme, and these include:

• Whitsunday Development Manual 
• Climate Change Adaption Policy 
• Climate Adaptation Strategy 2016-2020
• The Adopted Infrastructure Charges Resolution - Superseded on June 28 2018

Local Government Infrastructure Plan

• Whitsunday Region Economic and Population Study 2021 (will inform next LGIP amendment)
• Whitsunday Region Economic and Population Study 2018
• Urban Growth Study 2014
• Water and Sewerage Network Model 2020
• Water and Sewerage Network Model Updates 2014 (superseded)
• Whitsunday Development Manual (superseded) 
• Whitsunday Development Manual Version 3.6 (will inform next LGIP amendment)
• Schedule of Works Model 2020
• Schedule of Works Model (Version 1.6) 2018 (SOW) (superseded)
• Interim LGIP Amendment Review Checklist 2020
• LGIP Checklist (Version 1.3) (superseded)
• Department of Transport and Main Roads Consultation Letter
• Interim LGIP Amendment Public Notice
• Appointed Reviewer's Statement
• Interim LGIP Amendment - Water Reservoir (W8) Removal Justification Report
• Whitsunday Open Space Strategy 2022

Urban development places pressure on waterway assets, such as the Great Barrier Reef,significant  rivers and local streams. Stormwater carries pollutants, such as nitrogen, phosphorous, sediment,  litter, heavy metal and hydrocarbons.These impact upon local waterways, rivers and the Great Barrier Reef. Changes in hydrology associated with new urban development cause stream erosion and change flow regimes.These deliver greater loads of polluting sediment downstream and change ecological communities. 

In recent years, advances in urban development approaches and stormwater treatment technologies have made it possible to minimise the impact that new urban development has on waterways. We require that new development appropriately manages its stormwater in order to protect the regions many and varied natural assets.

We have developed the Stormwater Quality Guideline [PDF 8.13MB] to clearly articulate our requirements for new development and redevelopment with respect to how it manages the environmental impacts of its stormwater.

Bowen Local Catchment Flood Study

On the 11th March 2015, Council resolved to publicly release the ‘Bowen Local Catchment Flood Study’ (AECOM 2015). The report focuses specifically on flooding caused by rainfall in the local Bowen catchment and compliments recent reports released by Council on riverine flooding (Don River Flood Mitigation Report 2014 and Storm Surge Report 2012). It is important for the community to understand how the three different flood risks (rainfall in the local catchment, riverine flooding and storm tide inundation) affect the Bowen township. 

The 2015 AECOM Study provides the community with the most detailed, accurate and up to date flood risk information for rainfall in the Bowen local catchment. The study also recommends that the mapping be used for disaster management purposes to help determine evacuation routes for localized rainfall events. This mapping informs the Flood overlay within the Whitsunday Planning Scheme 2017.

Download the Bowen Local Catchment Flood Study 2015 [PDF 22 MB]

Don River Flood Risk and Mitigation Study

On 8th October 2014, Council received the Don River Flood Risk and Mitigation Study: Stage 1 – Flood Risk Assessment (AECOM, September 2014) and resolved to release it to the public. Council commissioned the study into the flood risk posed by the Don River and investigate potential mitigation options to help improve flood resilience for the Bowen community.  The Queensland Government provided 40% of the funding for the study with Council providing the remainder.

Stage 1 of the Don River Flood Risk and Mitigation Study outlines the flood risks in detail, with Stage 2 presenting possible approaches to mitigating flooding. This mapping informs the Flood overlay within the Whitsunday Planning Scheme 2017.

Download the Don River Flood Risk and Mitigation Study Stage 1 2014 [PDF 52 MB]

Proserpine Flood and Drainage Study

In 2011, Council utilised updated contour data (LIDAR) to undertake a detailed revision of the Proserpine Flood and Drainage Study 2007. The study updated the hydraulic model for the 2, 10, 50 and 100-year ARI design events, compared flood heights with those obtained during the 2010 updates and provided revised baseline flood heights for the Township. This mapping informs the Flood overlay within the Whitsunday Planning Scheme 2017.

Download the  Proserpine Flood and Drainage Study 2011 [PDF 4.87 MB]

Town of Whitsunday Drainage Study (TOWDS)

On 30th January 2019, Council received the TOWDS and on the 12th June 2019 resolved to utilise the flood model outputs including climate change projections to 2100.  The TOWDS area includes five catchments, being Jubilee Pocket, Airlie Beach, Cannonvale, Riordanvale and Cannon Valley. For the TOWDS area an entirely new model was developed for the five catchments, as no flood modelling data was available for the entire area. The study follows QCoast Leading Practice and substantially improves the understanding of flood hazard extent for the area. This mapping informs the Flood overlay map within the Whitsunday Planning Scheme 2017.

Download the Town of Whitsunday Drainage Study 2017 [PDF 28.9 MB]

Bowen Water Hazard Study (BWH)

On 30th January 2019 Council received the BWH study. The BWH study area is located to the east of the Don River and concentrates on the urbanised area of Bowen. The purpose of the BWH study was to determine extents of inundation of coastal areas due to storm tide and ascertain whether the combined occurrence of riverine flooding may further influence catchment flooding, including climate change factors in 2050 and 2100. This study builds on previous flood modelling undertaken by AECOM that modelled riverine and localised flood conditions but did not take into account the combined effect of riverine flooding and storm tide.

This study has provided significantly improved accuracy in relation to the threat of this hazard when compared to the State Planning Policy (SPP) Coastal Hazard Mapping. Hazard extents and inundation levels for a 1% AEP cyclonic event in 2100 informs the Whitsunday Planning Scheme 2017 Coastal hazard overlays.

Download the Bowen Water Hazard Study Stage 1 – Storm tide modelling 2017 [PDF 5.4 MB] or

Download the Bowen Water Hazard Study Stage 2 – Coincident modelling 2018 [PDF 4.2 MB]

Coastal Hazard Mapping Refinement Study

On 30th January 2019, Council received the TOWDS and resolved to utilise the 2100 storm surge and coastal erosion model outputs for Planning purposes. The Coastal Hazard Mapping Refinement Study was required to understand the extent of current and future coastal hazard areas in 2100 for storm tide and coastal erosion, so that potentially impacted assets and values can be identified.

The mapping provides much greater accuracy and refinement of hazard extents and severity than previously utilised State coastal hazard mapping. Mapping of a 1% AEP cyclonic event in 2100 informs the Whitsunday Planning Scheme 2017 Coastal hazard overlays.

Download the Coastal Hazard Mapping Refinement Study 2018 [PDF 4.87 MB]

Whitsunday Landslide Study

On 12th June 2019, Council received the Whitsunday Landslide Study completed by Cardno QLD Pty Ltd (Cardno). The study more accurately maps landslide hazard areas at a higher resolution than previous mapping and identifies varying levels of landslide risk for the southern Council area where landslide risk is considered most prevalent. The study informed best practice planning policy for mitigating risk to development within hazard areas. This mapping informs the Landslide overlay within the Whitsunday Planning Scheme 2017.

Download the Whitsunday Landslide Study 2019 [PDF 4.87 MB]

On 10th September 2019, Council adopted acid sulfate soil mapping for the Town of Whitsunday, Bowen and Proserpine urban areas. Detailed studies completed by Peter Muller at a scale of 1:25,000 identified the extents of acid sulfate soil occurrence and likely depths from the surface in urban areas. Outside of detailed mapping, the Soils and Land Suitability: Whitsunday Coast Area study (2003) informed potential acid sulfate soil occurrence at a scale of 1:100,000. All studies informed risk mapping within the Whitsunday Planning Scheme 2017 acid sulfate soil overlay.

The Major Amendment to the Whitsunday Planning Scheme commenced 3 October 2023, creating Version 4.7 of the Planning Scheme. This amendment superseded Version 3.9 of the Planning Scheme (Planning Scheme Policy - Development Manual Amendment) however did not make any changes to the contents of the manual from Version 3.9.

• Whitsunday Development Manual V3.7
• Whitsunday Development Manual V4.7