Course coordinator
Rosanne Meurling
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2025 (28/07/2025 - 22/11/2025)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Law School
The course is about planning and development law in Queensland, with a focus on the Planning Act 2016, the Planning Regulation 2017 and the Planning and Environment Court Act 2016 and related subordinate legislation and statutory instruments. The course seeks to provide students with an understanding of the statutory framework of planning and development law, and planning principles and practice.
Planning and development law is concerned with regulating land use and the development of land. The success of this regulatory framework is variable, and dependent on the contents of planning instruments, the effective implementation of those instruments by the State and local governments, and the quality of development. Achieving an ecologically sustainable planning outcome is the goal, but can be challenging.
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Planning and development law is an independent area of legal practice, however, it also intersects with environmental, heritage and water law. It also impacts on property and other financial transactions, and is fundamental to the valuation of land.
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Planning and development law has both front end and back end components. The preparation of documents, the provision of advice and the undertaking of due diligence in connection with property and corporate transactions are the front end components. The back end components encompass litigation and enforcement actions.
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In Queensland, the legislative and regulatory framework for planning and development law is found in the Planning Act 2016 (PA), the Planning Regulation 2017 (PR) and the Planning and Environment Court Act 2016 (PECA). The statutory instruments and guidelines made under the PA and PECA are equally important.
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The practice of planning and development law is varied and interesting. It often involves new and innovative development, and always involves working with other professionals (e.g. planners, economists, engineers, architects, and environmental scientists). It involves interaction with the community and with regulators. It gives you the opportunity to visit sites (both pre and post development). It guarantees you a broad client base, including developers, submitters, the State and local governments and utility providers.
Course requirements
Assumed background
A knowledge of property law and administrative law will be helpful, but not essential.
Prerequisites
You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:
All Level 1 LAWS courses
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
LAWS7131
Restrictions
LLB(Hons) and LLB(Hons) dual programs.
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Rosanne Meurling
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Aims and outcomes
Teaching Mission Statement
The mission of the TC Beirne School of Law is to educate students in and about the law. We seek to assist you to think critically about the law and to investigate its structures, principles, policies, and values. This is achieved by engaging with you as fellow investigators in a range of critical and intellectual conversations about the law and its place in society. Our role is thus to guide you in your own intellectual journey in the law and to equip you with the necessary skills that will enable you to continue that journey long after you have left the School.
Course Aims
The broad aim of the course is to introduce students to planning and development law in Queensland. With this knowledge, students will be in a position to resolve practical problems about land use and development and prepare necessary documents.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
An appreciation of the key planning instruments under the Planning Act 2016 (Qld), their role in planning and development assessment and their construction.
LO2.
An ability to successfully navigate the development assessment system under the Planning Act 2016 (Qld).
LO3.
A broad understanding of development assessment under the Planning Act 2016 (Qld) and the jurisprudence that underpins development assessment.
LO4.
An understanding of the importance of infrastructure planning and charging under the Planning Act 2016 (Qld).
LO5.
A familiarity with the practices, procedures and philosophy of the Queensland Planning and Environment Court.
LO6.
A broad knowledge of the development enforcement regime.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay/ Critique |
Assignment
|
40% |
8/10/2025 2:00 pm |
| Examination |
Final Examination
|
60% |
End of Semester Exam Period 8/11/2025 - 22/11/2025 |
Assessment details
Assignment
- Online
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Essay/ Critique
- Weight
- 40%
- Due date
8/10/2025 2:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L03, L04
Task description
Answer an assignment topic, which may take the form of an essay or advice. It is not anticipated that the task will take the allocated time. Assignments are not to exceed the word limit. The word limit does not include headings or footnotes (however, footnotes should be used for citation purposes only; not for substantive text).
Word Limit: 2000 words
This assessment task evaluates student’s abilities, skills and knowledge.
The assignment is to be accompanied by a description of the research methodology utilised to prepare the answer to the assignment topic. The description of the research methodology should not exceed 500 words and is additional to the word limit for the assignment.
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance.
A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.
Submission guidelines
The assignment must be submitted electronically via the assessment submission link on the course Learn.UQ (Blackboard) site.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Extension to Assessment Due Date
An extension for an assessment item due within the teaching period in which the course is offered will generally be limited to one week in the first instance. In exceptional circumstances, approved extensions may be granted for more than one week but will not exceed four weeks in total. Where a student is incapacitated for a period exceeding four weeks of the teaching period, they should be advised to apply for removal of course.
A student may apply for an extension to assessment due date if they are unable to meet an assessment deadline due to extenuating circumstances. Please refer to the Applying for an extension page on my.UQ for further details on acceptable reasons for an extension and for instructions on how to apply. Additional information on extensions can be found within the Assessment Procedure.
Spoken or written notification of difficulties with assessment deadlines to a course coordinator or the School does not constitute an authorised extension.
Applications to be submitted before the due date: Applications for extension (whether they be medical or exceptional circumstances) shall be made by the due date and time for the assessment. Requests for extensions received after the assessment item submission due date and time, must include evidence of the reason for the late request, and will require the decision maker listed in the Student Grievance Resolution Procedure to accept the request for consideration.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Penalties for Late Submission
The following penalties apply to late submission of an assessment item, assuming that an extension has not been approved, and that late submission is academically possible (e.g., it does not delay feedback to a cohort, or interfere with course delivery).
First 7 periods of 24 hours (or part thereof) - 10% per 24 hours of the maximum possible mark for the assessment item. For example, a report worth a maximum of 40 marks, submitted 28 hours late will attract a penalty of 8 marks, calculated as 2 periods of 24 hours x 10% x 40 marks.
More than 7 periods of 24 hours - 100%.
Final Examination
- In-person
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Examination
- Weight
- 60%
- Due date
End of Semester Exam Period
8/11/2025 - 22/11/2025
- Other conditions
- Secure.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06
Task description
The final exam will be a closed book exam with permitted materials. The following materials may be taken into the exam:
- Planning Act 2016, Planning Regulation 2017, Planning and Environment Court Act 2016, Planning and Environment Court Rules 2018 and the Development Assessment Rules
- Five (5) pages of written notes (whether handwritten or typed).
The statutory material in paragraph (a) above is to be unannotated except for underlining, highlighting and/or unmarked tabs.
The exam will be worth 60% of the final mark.
Answer essay and/or problem questions on aspects of the course.
This assessment task is to be completed in-person. The use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT) tools will not be permitted. Any attempted use of AI or MT may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Exam details
| Planning time | 10 minutes |
|---|---|
| Duration | 120 minutes |
| Calculator options | No calculators permitted |
| Open/closed book | Closed book examination - specified written materials permitted |
| Materials |
The statutory material in paragraph (a) above is to be unannotated except for underlining, highlighting and/or unmarked tabs. |
| Exam platform | Paper based |
| Invigilation | Invigilated in person |
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to defer this exam.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0 - 19 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 2 (Fail) | 20 - 47 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 48 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
Additional course grading information
Further assessment information, including marking criteria and standards, will be provided on the course Blackboard site.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Lecture |
Week One Lecture Introduction to legislation and key terms and concepts. Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
|
Lecture |
Week Two Lecture Planning instruments. Learning outcomes: L01 |
|
Lecture |
Week Three Lecture Development assessment - processes. Learning outcomes: L02 |
|
Lecture |
Week Four Lecture Development assessment - processes. Learning outcomes: L02 |
|
Lecture |
Week Five Lecture Development assessment - processes. Learning outcomes: L02 |
|
Lecture |
Week Six Lecture Development assessment – principles and concepts. Learning outcomes: L01, L03 |
|
Lecture |
Week Seven Lecture Introduction to infrastructure. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04 |
|
Lecture |
Week Eight Lecture Planning and Environment Court – practices, procedures and philosophy. Learning outcomes: L05 |
|
Lecture |
Week Nine Lecture Planning and Environment Court – practices, procedures and philosophy. Learning outcomes: L05 |
|
Lecture |
Week Ten Lecture Enforcement actions. Learning outcomes: L06 |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments for Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.
School guidelines
Your school has additional guidelines you'll need to follow for this course: