As the Gold Coast City Council prepares ‘The Local Growth Management Strategy’, which will provide the overarching strategic guide to managing population and employment growth over the coming decades. This is now in the final stages of completion and the overview of results will be released later this year. Community engagement plays a critical role […]
Town Planning
🌾 The Things We See
One of the best parts about surveying? The views — both the literal kind and the perspective you gain along the way. From massive vacant blocks to sprawling new suburbs to wading through paddocks, bushland, and half-built subdivisions — we get to see parts of the world most people never do. Like this one 👇Out […]
Supporting Mental Health Every Day at Arnold Development Consultants 🌿
World Mental Health Day was on Saturday, but the message is one we carry with us every day. At Arnold Development Consultants, we know that strong foundations — whether in subdivisions, survey plans, or communities — rely on the wellbeing of the people who build them. Mental health matters in every workplace, and we’re proud […]
Clear Vision: From Eyesight to Earth Sight
Today is World Sight Day 👁️ — a reminder of how important vision is to every part of our lives. In surveying, we rely on clear line-of-sight, precision, and seeing what’s really there so we can map, plan, and build safely and responsibly. Just like you wouldn’t want blurry vision, in our work we can’t […]
It All Starts with a Tripod in the Dirt
Fun fact: Surveyors are the first people on a site before any building begins.We map, measure, and mark the land so architects, builders, and planners know exactly where everything belongs. Every building, road, and park you see today started with a surveyor on site. From defining property boundaries to guiding major developments, surveying lays the […]
Planning and Development Alert – Infrastructure charges update
With the recently scheduled changes to Infrastructure Charges we are again reminded that, in addition to the continued increase to ICN charges as indexed with CPI (inflation rate) Council’s are liable to remove existing exemptions or add additional rates for certain uses. This can expose a project, particularly those not previously charged, to significant costs […]
Mandatory Seller Disclosure Comes into Effect Today in Queensland
Arnold Development Consultants advises all Queensland businesses in either the delivery and development of property or the sale of property of the significant legislative changes commencing today the 1st of August 2025, with the implementation of the Property Law Act 2023 (Qld) and the Property Law Regulation 2024 (Qld). These reforms introduce a mandatory seller […]
Gold Coast City Plan Version 12 – Launched
With the launch of the Gold Coast City Plan Version 12, we are reminded that the development process is ever-changing. With this latest amendment, we can expect “consequential changes to mapping layers”, such as Land Zone and Use Changes as stated by the City of Gold Coast. Across the Gold Coast, changes to the following […]
This Is How Judges Choose the ‘Most Liveable City’
How Judges Choose the ‘Most Liveable City’ With Australian cities like Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth frequently named in ‘top 10 most liveable cities’ lists — seemingly year after year — you may be curious as to how judges pick the most liveable cities and what criteria they use. Firstly, it’s important to point out that […]
The Case for More Bike Lanes
Discussions about the benefits of bike lanes are often greeted with scepticism, but there are many proven benefits to having bike lanes in towns and cities and, consequently, the case for more bike lane infrastructure is getting stronger by the day. As experienced town and urban planners, the town planning team at Arnold Development Consultants […]
Avoiding “Suburbia” in Development Planning
Australian suburbs are generally very comfortable places to live, but it’s difficult to deny that they’re often rather bland, homogenous and somewhat boring. But do they need to be? The answer to that question is ‘no’, there isn’t any reason why property developers can’t create attractive, functional and inherently liveable mini suburbs that people love […]
Exploring the Concept of a Car-Free City
Most people in the modern era recognise the inherent benefits of reducing our reliance on automotive transport in inner-city areas, but will we ever be able to achieve a completely car-free city? While it’s unrealistic to expect a city to ever be 100% free of cars, many cities around the world are successfully implementing town […]
