The attraction of new investment and jobs to the Rockhampton region is an important task for Council. Rockhampton City Council is committed to encouraging business development and employment.
Council aims is to help local business grow and prosper to create new jobs, and to encourage new industry and investment to Rockhampton.
Council's Business Development Support Policy (see link at bottom of page) aims to:
1. Attract new businesses that create employment (directly or indirectly).
2. Encourage and support growth and development of existing business that creates employment (directly and indirectly).
3. Establish a positive image as a Council that supports business development.
Council's Airport & Economic Development Committee oversees its economic development and tourism strategies.
The Business Development Committee ensures Council's processes are effective and user-friendly.
Council's Planning & Development Committee is responsible for considering the planning and associated development issues in the City, and includes the Council's consideration of development applications that are unable to be decided by Council Officers under Delegated Authority.
Development Assessment is carried out in acordance with the Integrated Planning Act 1997 and any person seeking information on the development assessment process (including application forms, guidelines, flowcharts etc) are directed to the website at www.ipa.qld.gov.au.
For information associated with Development Assessment specific to the Rockhampton City Council only, the following material can be found on Council's website:
Transitional Town Planning Scheme.
Current Strategic Plan.
Draft City Plan that will replace the Transitional Town Planning Scheme and Strategic Plan.
Development application fees and charges.
Prelodgement meetings.
Current approvals.
Public notification kit.
For further information on Town Planning issues, contact the Manager Planning Services on (07) 4936 8343 or e-mail enquiries@rcc.qld.gov.au.
Applications for reconfiguration of a lot (sub-division) is lodged with Council Development Engineering Unit.
Pre-lodgement meetings are offered free of charge to identify potential issues, headworks contribution and application processes.
For further information on Development Engineering contact the Manager Development Engineering Danny Gushtasbi by telephone on (07) 4936 8214 or e-mail gushtasd@rcc.qld.gov.au.
Public health approval or licences are required for:
Food premises construction of any description, including any temporary food premises.
Higher risk personal appearance services (fixed or mobile), for example skin penetration operations of any description.
Accommodation facilities such as motels, caravan parks, backpackers, bed and breakfast, hostels etc.
Semi-public pools, eg. motels, gym, sporting complex pools.
Racing horse stable and domestic water carriers.
Council's Health Services' section licences all premises that store and handle flammable and combustible liquids (Class 3 liquids such as petrol, crude oil, solvents, metholated spirits, kerosene, paints (oil based), thinners, diesel, waste oils and most lubricating oils), in quantities greater than a threshold limit (as defined in the Australian Standard - AS1940-2004).
This includes flammable and combustible liquids that are stored on residential properties, commercial premises and government agencies.
Activities licensed by Council include: Service stations, paint stockist and retailers, agricultural suppliers (cattle dips, poisons etc require licensing), transport companies, fleet vehicles workshops with fuel that is ancillary to their activities, airport - fuel supplies, meatworks, laboratory supplies, fuel depots, tank vehicle loading facilities and any commercial or industrial premises with fuel storage which is ancillary to the activity.
For further information on public health approvals or licences contact the Manager Health Services Kevin Holmes on (07) 4936 8405 or e-mail holmesk@rcc.qld.gov.au.
Environmentally relevant activities (ERAs) administered by Council under the Environmental Protection Act 1994 are:
Poultry farming - more than 1000 birds.
Crude oil or petroleum product storing - storing crude oil or a petroleum product in tanks or containers having a combined total storage capacity of 10,000 litres but less than 500,000 litres.
Abrasive blasting.
Boiler making or engineering.
Metal surface coating - less than 10,000 tonnes.
Metal foaming.
Metal recovery.
Motor vehicle workshop.
Animal housing - commercially operating a boarding or breeding kennel, dog pound, greyhound training facility or veterinary clinic in which animals are boarded for over more than overnight treatment.
Pet, stock or aquaculture food manufacturing.
Plastic manufacturing - more than 1 tonne per year.
Printing.
Asphalt manufacturing.
Concrete batching - more than 100 tonnes per year.
Motor racing - conducting more races other than international motor races.
Wooden product manufacturing - more than 1 tonne per year.
Boat maintaining or repairing facility.
Heliport.
Marina or seaplane mooring.
Incinerating waste - for vegetation and general waste.
These above ERAs now require to hold approvals under the Environment Protection Act 1994 and also the Integrated Planning Act 1997.
Council's Health Services' section is responsible for approving persons or businesses which perform waste management works, for fee or reward, within the Rockhampton City area under the provisions of the Environmental Protection Act 1994.
Waste management works include collection, storage, transportation, recycling, treatment and disposal (or a combination of one/some/all) of waste products.
Examples of waste management works are: Medical waste collectors/transporters, oil recyclers, solvent recyclers, scrap metal merchants, offal collectors, grease trap waste collectors and filling of land (only if charging a fee for accepting waste to be disposed).
For further information on maters devolved to Council under the Environmental Protection Act 1994 contact Matthew Wessling by telephone on (07) 4936 8404 or e-mail wesslin,@rcc.qld.gov.au.
To make the most of its business development and employment initiatives, Council works closely with Rockhampton Regional Development Ltd, telephone (07) 4927 0292, website www.rrdl.com.au, and Rockhampton Tourist & Business Information Inc, telephone (07) 4922 2855, website www.rockhamptoninfo.com. To achieve its specific tourism goals, Council works closely with Capricorn Tourism, telephone (07) 4927 2055, website www.capricorntourism.com.au, and Rockhampton Tourist & Business Information Inc, telephone (07) 4922 2855, website www.rockhamptoninfo.com, For further information on other business development and employment issues