The Ripley Valley is located within Ipswich City, adjacent to existing urban development on the southern outskirts of the Ipswich urban area and approximately five kilometres south-west of the Ipswich CBD.

The Ripley Valley Urban Development Area (UDA) covers a total area of 4,680 hectares.

The current residential population of the Ripley Valley UDA is 400. These residents live on predominantly rural and rural residential properties.

The SEQ Regional Plan designates Ripley as a Major Regional Centre and the Ipswich City Council Planning Scheme identifies the town centre as the Primary Business Area within the Ripley Valley/Deebing Creek Land Use Concept Master Plan. The Regional Plan envisages that the Ripley Valley will accommodate 120,000 of the 182,500 additional people in Ipswich by 2026, or more than 65% of the total anticipated growth.

The Ripley Valley Structure Plan confirms the Town Centre and Urban Core designations and proposes the sequencing of development of the Ripley Valley to be focussed from the outset on the Urban Core and Deebing Heights. Development in the Ripley Valley is proposed to be based on the principles of Traditional Neighbourhood Design (TND), with mixed use and walkable neighbourhoods.

The development of Stage 1 of the Town Centre within the Urban Core by SHD Services, by alliance partners, Amex, in the Secondary Urban Centre East, together with the Town Park, is proposed to commence following statutory approvals and infrastructure development. The development is being undertaken in accordance with the "work/live/play" principles of Traditional Neighbourhood design.

Infrastructure agreements will be progressed as required with both the Ipswich City Council and the State Government as detailed planning and design for the Urban Core progresses

Last year Premier Campbell Newman announced the return of Urban Land Development Authority (ULDA) development approval to councils, which were stripped by the Bligh government two years ago.

Ipswich mayor Paul Pisasale, said these changes would get plans for development of the Ripley Valley moving again. "We were ready and we had done all of the planning up until 2010 when the power was taken away from us. Now we can sit down with developers and bring Ripley Valley on line as quickly as possible."