Key Points:
Project proponents must carefully consider areas within
their project that they may be unable to access or utilise as first
envisaged because of the regulation of restricted
land.
There have been a number of moves in Queensland to impose
controls on mining projects when it comes to their interaction with
urban areas and improved rural land, however the resulting
regulatory framework is a patchwork of legislation, policy,
declaration and proposed legislation.
Urban restricted areas
Responding to community concerns about competing land uses (ie
mining exploration vs developing urban centres), the Queensland
Government introduced the Resources Legislation (Balance, Certainty
and Efficiency) Amendment Bill 2011 on 16 August 2011 to create the
concept of "urban restricted areas" that would have the
effect of preventing applications for mining and gas tenures within
2 km of urban areas and communities with over 1,000 people, unless
the relevant local
