Referral agency
Under the Integrated Development Assessment System (IDAS), we have a role as a referral agency for development applications.
This means we may make recommendations and offer advice on conditions of approval or refusal of an application.
Learn more about the IDAS process and our role as a referral agency.
We may offer advice in the following development assessable situations:
Reconfiguring a lot if any part of the lot is:
- subject to an ENERGEX easement
- situated within 100m of a substation site
Material change of use if any part of the lot, structure or work:
- is subject to an ENERGEX easement
- will be located wholly or partly in the ENERGEX easement
- is situated within 100m of an ENERGEX substation site
Operational work (filling or excavation) if:
- any part of the premises is subject to an ENERGEX easement
- the work is located wholly or partly within 10m of a substation site
For a full list of referral triggers, please see Schedule 7 of the Sustainable Planning Regulations 2009.
What should be referred?
Substations
- Bulk supply substations and zone substations require referral.
- Distribution substations and transformers do not require referral.
Easements
Any easements that are owned by ENERGEX, or the following ENERGEX predecessor companies, will need to be referred to ENERGEX.
- Barton, White & Co
- Brisbane Electric Supply Company
- City Electric Light Co Ltd
- Southern Electric Authority of Queensland
- South East Queensland Electricity Corporation Limited
- ENERGEX Limited
Making a request
To make a request for information please complete the Referral Agency - Request for Information Form.
Alternatively, please put your request in writing to:
Town Planning
ENERGEX
GPO Box 1461
Brisbane QLD 4001
Making a referral to the right agency
Powerlink, ENERGEX and Ergon are all Government Owned Corporations (GOCs), which manage and maintain Queensland's various electricity networks.
Powerlink transports high-voltage electricity to the electricity distribution networks throughout QLD, namely ENERGEX and Ergon.
ENERGEX is responsible for distributing electricity throughout South East Queensland.
Our area extends north to Gympie, west to the base of the Toowoomba Ranges and south to the NSW border.
Ergon is responsible for distributing electricity to the remainder of Queensland.
Protecting land designated for community infrastructure
It is important to protect land designated for community infrastructure.
Incompatible development can make land unsuitable for the purposes it was designated.
It can also place additional cost on the community should buildings need to be moved later (e.g., residential buildings within an easement for a future electricity line is not appropriate).
In this instance, the development application is referred to Department of Employment, Economic Development & Innovation (DEEDI), Queensland Mines and Energy (QME) section, who are then responsible for providing a response to the applicant.
We are called upon to provide QME with any technical input, and are happy to receive pre-lodgement responses from applicants to resolve issues more efficiently.
More information about the referral agency process can be found on the SmartEDA website.
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