The South East Queensland Regional Plan is being reviewed – and while that might sound like just another policy update, it is actually one of the most important planning conversations happening in SEQ right now.
If you own land, are considering a development, or are working through a development applicaiton or development approval in Queensland, this review matters a lot.
Industry has already put forward recommendations focused on delivering more homes sooner, improving affordability and ensuring jobs are located closer to where people live. But beyond the headlines, the real question is:
What does this mean for your site, your project or your long-term plans?
Why the SEQ Regional Plan Matters
The Regional Plan sets the strategic direction for growth across South East Queensland, including the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Logan, Ipswich, Moreton Bay and the Sunshine Coast.
It influences:
• The urban footprint
• Where future growth is supported
• Infrastructure sequencing
• Employment land strategy
• Density expectations
• Long-term rezoning opportunities
In simple terms, it shapes where development can happen and how quickly it can move.
For landowners and developers working through Gold Coast town planning, development applications or large-scale development approvals in Queensland, the Regional Plan is often sitting in the background influencing feasibility whether you realise it or not.
What Is Being Proposed?
Several key themes are emerging ahead of the formal public consultation phase.
1. Increasing Land and Housing Supply
There is strong pressure to boost land and housing supply across SEQ.
This may include:
• Greater flexibility in the urban footprint
• A more neutral approach to housing types
• Faster rezoning pathways
• Reducing barriers that delay housing delivery
For some landowners, this could create opportunity.
For others, it may mean increased expectations around density and yield.
Either way, the strategic settings may shift.
2. Faster Rezoning and Planning Pathways
One of the biggest frustrations across the industry is how long development applications and planning scheme amendments can take.
The review presents an opportunity to modernise these pathways and improve certainty around delivery timeframes.
For projects currently navigating development approvals in Queensland, or those considering a development application on the Gold Coast or elsewhere in SEQ, this could significantly influence timing and risk.
3. Certainty Around Infrastructure and Coordination
Infrastructure alignment is critical to unlocking supply.
Better coordination between state and local government, clearer infrastructure funding mechanisms and improved sequencing could remove some of the bottlenecks that currently slow projects down.
For strategic landholdings, this is often just as important as zoning itself.
So What Should You Be Doing?
If you own land in South East Queensland, now is the time to step back and look at the bigger picture.
Ask yourself:
• Is my land inside or outside the current urban footprint?
• Could this review create an opportunity for inclusion?
• Does my project align with identified growth corridors?
• Should I be preparing a submission?
• Is my planning strategy still the right one?
Regional Plan reviews do not happen every year. They shape the planning framework for the next decade.
Being proactive now can make a significant difference to long-term outcomes.
How Planit Can Help
As experienced town planning consultants in SEQ, Planit works across the Gold Coast and broader South East Queensland region advising on:
• Strategic land use planning
• Development applications
• Urban footprint investigations
• Development approvals Queensland
• Planning due diligence
• Infrastructure coordination strategy
We are already assisting clients in reviewing their landholdings and preparing strategic responses ahead of public consultation.
If you would like to understand how the SEQ Regional Plan review could impact your site, your project or your development pipeline, we would be happy to talk it through.
Contact:
Steven Mitchell
Principal Planner
Planit Consulting
The earlier the strategy discussion starts, the more options you typically have.
