Ipswich tartan track location to return for late-July committee review

Ipswich’s tartan track location will return to the Advocacy Advisory Committee for review in late July, after Ipswich City Council received a draft report from planning consultancy Ross Planning.

Mayor Teresa Harding asked that the next committee meeting be timed to consider the report. A final date has not been announced.

The report is expected to guide the committee’s consideration of the preferred location. The available information does not identify the sites Ross Planning assessed or recommend a location.

The tartan track was not decided at the 18 June meeting. The committee is expected to consider the planning report before identifying a preferred site.

A future meeting is also expected to include a report on project updates. Advocacy Lead Kate Adams is to provide an update on all regionally significant projects and a refreshed listing of requests under each advocacy priority.

The requests are linked to the council’s Advocacy Plan, which was noted as being scheduled for the 2028 elections. Mayor Harding also asked councillors to continue advocating for projects with ministers or shadow ministers when possible.

The track discussion was part of a broader conversation about infrastructure advocacy in Ipswich. Economic Development Manager Dan Heenan said the Inland Rail project was a key regionally significant project and that council had engaged with the State Government about other funding pathways for infrastructure needed to bring it online.

Meetings had been held with various State Government departments the previous week, and the government was interested in forming a working group with council to consider a pathway for delivering the available infrastructure to activate the area.

The next Advocacy Advisory Committee meeting is expected to be scheduled for late July 2026, with the final date and agenda still to be advised. The Ross Planning report is expected to be considered when it is available.