Seven to Steer State Housing Strategy

Seven independent experts will fast track the Queensland Government’s delivery of new land for housing development.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning Paul Lucas said the Urban Land Development Authority (ULDA) would slash red tape to free up land for new homes across Queensland.

“The ULDA is on track to start work by the end of the month with its seven member board now in place,” Mr Lucas said.

“This new authority will take command of planning and development controls to streamline and accelerate the delivery of land for new housing.

“It will also oversee the smart bricks and mortar renewal of strategic inner city sites, focussing on the construction of world class residential precincts which include affordable housing options.”

Mr Lucas said Bill Grant, as chairman of the new authority, would lead a strong team of housing and planning specialists. Mr Grant was announced as the first chairman of the ULDA in September.

Renaye Peters, Professor Brendan Gleeson, Professor Michael Keniger, Councillor Julie Boyd, Michael Back and Michael Kerry, will support Mr Grant at the ULDA. (see attached bios)

“These people are unrivalled in their field.

“I am delighted with the appointments to the ULDA, they make up a high calibre team of well qualified professionals committed to improving housing affordability and urban planning in Queensland.

“As the former CEO of the South Bank Corporation, Mr Grant has a strong track record of delivery.”

Mr Lucas said the ULDA will provide the foundations for the Queensland Government’s Housing Affordability Plan.

“Already we’ve identified five sites, covering more than 700 hectares of land, as the building blocks for new Urban Development Areas.

“From Woolloongabba to Bowen Hills, NorthShore Hamilton, to Fitzgibbon and the former Mackay Showgrounds, there’s enough land for more than 20,000 Queenslanders to call home.

“The ULDA will be a one stop shop for planning and development approvals within specially designated areas.

“It signals a new era in the development of housing in the Sunshine State to put the great Australian dream back within the reach of the average Queenslander.

“I’m looking forward to working closely with the ULDA to help give more Queenslanders the keys to their own home,” Mr Lucas said.

Media contacts:
Robert Hoge – 0419 757 868
Darren Roberts – 0448 184 566.

Michael Kerry

Mr Kerry currently works at Babcock and Brown and is the immediate Past President of the Queensland division of the Planning Institute of Australia.

He was formerly the Director of Planning and Strategic Infrastructure with Springfield Land Corporation, and prior to that, was the Executive Director of the Office of Urban Management responsible for the development of the SEQ Regional Plan and SEQ Infrastructure Plan. He has also been a director of the South Bank Corporation.

Mr Kerry has experience in city and regional planning, major projects and urban development and has worked for Brisbane City Council, the West Australian Government, the Joondalup Development Corporation in Perth, Metropolitan Adelaide in SA, the Northern Territory Government and the Albury-Wodonga Development Corporation. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Queensland.

Michael Back

Mr Back is currently a senior partner and head of the Brisbane office of Freehills, where he advises on major property developments and infrastructure projects.

He has expertise in relation to the environmental and planning aspects of such projects, and also advises in relation to the undertaking and reporting of environmental audits, compliance and management programs.

Mr Back has experience in advising Australian and overseas clients on investing and developing property both here, and in east Asia. He has also lectured in environmental law at University of Queensland.

Renaye Peters

Ms Peters is Leighton’s Strategic Development Manager for the northern region and has played a crucial role in winning, and delivering, billions of dollars worth of infrastructure projects in Queensland.

She is a registered architect and also has a degree in project management which has been deployed during her 17 years’ experience in the construction industry.

Ms Peters has led project bids, advised and led construction alliances, and managed the business development and communications functions on these teams. She has won awards for her promotion of women in the construction sector and has been a member of the University of Queensland’s senate.

Julie Boyd

Ms Boyd is the Mayor of Mackay after being elected to Mackay City Council in 1988 as an Alderman. She was first elected Mayor in 1997 and re-elected in 2000 and again in 2004.

Councillor Boyd sits on the boards of Sunwater and Museum and Gallery Services Queensland, and is also the deputy chair of the Australian Institute of Management, Mackay branch.

Councillor Boyd chairs the Mackay Water Recycling Committee, Audit Committee, Natural Environment Advisory Committee, Mackay Local Government Counter Disaster Committee, WHaMB Roc and WHAM Regional Planning Advisory Committee. She is also on the Pioneer River Improvement Trust and sits on the City Centre Revitalisation Board and is deputy chair of the Mackay Whitsunday REDC.

Brendan Gleeson

Professor Gleeson is a professor at Griffith University and is currently director of the urban research program at the University’s School for Environmental Planning.

His research interests include urban planning and governance, urban social policy, disability studies and environmental theory and policy. He has co-authored a number of books on sustainable development and the environment.

Professor Gleeson has worked in the UK, USA, Germany, New Zealand and Australia. In 2002, he was appointed by the ACT Government to act as a key adviser on a major restructuring of the territory’s planning and land development administration.

Michael Keniger

Professor Keniger is the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) at the University of Queensland, and was previously the Executive Dean of Faculty of Engineering, Physical Sciences and Architecture, Head of the Department of Architecture, and inaugural Head of the School of Geography, Planning and Architecture.

He is a Life Fellow and Past President of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (Qld), a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and a Fellow of the Queensland Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Professor Keniger was Queensland ‘architect of the year’ in 1998 and held the advisory post of Queensland Government Architect from 1999-2006. He is a member of the South Bank Corporation and has been appointed by Brisbane City Council as the inaugural chair of Urban Futures Brisbane. He was a member of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Design Review panel and was a design advisor to the National Museum project in Canberra. Professor Keniger also provided advice on the design competitions for the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art and the Queensland Millennium Library.