Regional planning program

Council has an ongoing commitment to land supply and development monitoring.

This allows Council to work in collaboration with the State Government, the development industry, and the community, to ensure we have enough land for housing and employment, and the right policies to promote appropriate development.

Council is undertaking several foundational investigations, which will help a new planning scheme to plan for the right development, in the right places.

These investigations, in addition to Council’s ongoing monitoring activities are explained further below. 

Urban Areas Employment Lands Investigation

The UAELI is part of the "Reshaping our Region’s Planning" Portfolio and is the first foundational "strategic policy" investigation completed that will inform preparations for a new planning scheme. The investigation will also support implementation of the Regional Economic Development Strategy (2020-41).

The primary focus of the investigation was to understand and clarify how the region is tracking against the State interest benchmark to ensure an Effective Supply of at least 15-years of Industry zoned land that is able to be serviced. The investigation also analysed how the region’s industrial and knowledge-based employment lands (in urban areas) have been used and are likely to be used in the future.

A key requirement of the UAELI was to analyse the supply and demand situation for the five types of industrial development areas or precincts within the Industry Zone, being: 

  • Light Industry
  • Mixed Industry and Business Area (MIBA)
  • General Industry (GI)
  • Restricted Industry 
  • Marine Industry.

The key findings from the UAELI report include:

  1. Council’s planning for its existing zoned "Industrial" land and "Mixed Industry and Business Areas" (MIBA) currently meets the State benchmark to ensure an “effective supply” of a minimum of 15-years of industry zoned land that is able to be serviced, for the current planning scheme (to 2031).
  2. If growth monitoring shows that the remaining "effective supply" of industry zoned land continues to be used at higher than average historic rates, as has been trending in the last few years, or used for alternative uses, Council may fall below the required 15-years "effective supply" benchmark during the life of the current planning scheme.
  3. Within the "effective supply" framework, Elimbah East and North East Business Park are the only greenfield locations that could support new large-scale industrial estates for General Industry (GI) and MIBA respectively. The current reliance on these two areas is a "eggs in one basket" risk and Council should commence a process to identify potential additional GI and MIBA supply options.
  4. Notwithstanding the above, to meet the State benchmark, Council will need to identify additional GI (and likely also MIBA) supply options as part of its new planning scheme. The timing and amount of land required will be related to the future rates at which the "effective supply" of industrial land is developed, and how this land is used.

Housing Needs (Choice, Diversity and Affordable Living) Investigation

The HNI is part of the "Reshaping our Region’s Planning" Portfolio, and is the second foundational investigation (after UAELI) that will inform a new planning scheme.

The HNI has examined where and how we live now, as well as what we need to do to maintain our livable suburbs as the region grows and changes. The HNI focused on five key areas of housing:

  • choice
  • accessibility
  • location
  • affordability
  • capacity.

The key findings from the HNI report include:

  1. If current trends continue, there will be a mismatch between the types of housing available in Moreton Bay, and the types of housing people need.
  2. Moreton Bay’s population aged over 65 is growing at twice the rate as the rest of South East Queensland.
  3. Most new housing is being built in greenfield areas.
  4. Most new homes are being built in areas that are not considered to support affordable living.
  5. Moreton Bay is on-track to meet the State Government’s 2041 dwelling supply benchmark and has a theoretical capacity beyond 2051, if development occurs generally in-line densities assumed in Council’s October 2019 Planning Assumptions.
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