Strategic planning
- Details
Greenfield land is undeveloped land in an Urban Footprint that has been identified as being potentially suitable for future urban development. It is generally found on the fringes of existing urban areas.
Following the release of the Queensland Housing Affordability Strategy in July 2007, the state government reviewed the supply of greenfield land in South East Queensland’s Urban Footprint. After conducting a constraints and opportunities analysis, the government identified 42 greenfield areas. These areas are distributed equitably across the region, amongst local governments and developers.
The locations are illustrated in the Greenfield land supply in South East Queensland action plan.
Characteristics and size of greenfield sites
Of the 42 greenfield areas, 22 are ‘committed areas’ - they have urban zonings, existing development approvals and/or established or committed infrastructure. Of these, 17 areas were identified as priorities and have been forwarded.
The remaining 15 areas are ‘potential areas’ - currently not zoned for urban development nor included in state and local government infrastructure plans. The areas available for development range in size from about 100 hectares to 5,000 hectares depending on land constraints.
The majority of the land will be used for housing. The residual will accommodate a mix of other uses, including employment, infrastructure, recreation, open space and environmental management. Lot sizes will be determined by local governments in their town plans.
Land supply and its link to housing affordability
Land holding costs and development approval times have been identified by the development industry as adding to the cost of housing in South East Queensland.
Removing regulatory hurdles will save developers time and money, while increasing the supply of land ready for development will increase competition between developers - putting downward pressure on house prices.
The Queensland Government has no control over other housing affordability factors, such as interest rates and mortgage deregulation.
Timeframes for development of greenfield land
The government will work to ensure the land comes onto the market as soon as possible and development applications are considered without delay. This can occur more quickly for committed areas where planning is already advanced.
The government is expecting the development industry to respond accordingly, by bringing approved greenfield areas to the market in a timely manner.
Local governments are responsible for the detailed planning and development approval of greenfield development sites in Queensland.
Responsibility for building infrastructure - roads, water, sewerage - to support urban development
Committed greenfield areas generally have established or promised infrastructure, some of which falls under the state government’s $107 billion South East Queensland Infrastructure Plan and Program.
Most of the potential greenfield areas are outside current state and local government infrastructure delivery programs. Consequently, developers of these areas would need to demonstrate how the necessary infrastructure will be funded and delivered.
Development in these areas will be subject to the Sustainable Planning Act 2009, which provides for community consultation on planning and development assessment.
