Regional planning

Regional planning considers economic, social and environmental factors and integrates land use and infrastructure planning for each of our unique regions across Queensland.

The Queensland Government is committed to accelerating the government’s response to regional priorities, challenges and opportunities by integrating and coordinating delivery of regional plans with regional infrastructure priorities (Regional Infrastructure Plans).

This collaborative and coordinated approach allows the economic and social outcomes from a range of regional planning programs to be maximised for optimal outcomes for communities.

It harmonises economic, infrastructure and land use planning to accelerate and coordinate government action in regions on policy priorities like well-located housing – contributing to responsible economic development and liveable community objectives.

Regional plans

Statutory regional plans are long-term strategic documents that guide land use planning for state and local governments through contemporary policy frameworks. They spatially represent how our regions will grow and respond to change over time. The Queensland Government has committed to developing new regional plans which cover every corner of the state, in conjunction with infrastructure plans to protect the lifestyle of our communities and appropriately plan for growth.

The scope of regional plans will be more focused, addressing only the priorities which matter most to unlock the supply of new homes and new jobs for communities.

Regional plans under review

Current regional plans

Interactive regional plan mapping for each regional area.

Legislation

Regional planning in Queensland is governed by:

Together, these seek to reconcile the protection of priority land uses while delivering a diverse and prosperous economic future for our regions.

Contact the department if you require an electronic copy of a previous regional plan.

Growth Monitoring Unit (GMU)

The Growth Monitoring Program (GMP) (now the Growth Monitoring Unit (GMU)) was established under the 2017 regional plan for South East Queensland (ShapingSEQ 2017) and continues under ShapingSEQ 2023. The GMU monitors land use and development activity in the South East Queensland (SEQ) region to track the performance of key ShapingSEQ regional plan policies, including the progress of land supply and dwelling growth targets to help address supply challenges.

View more information on the Growth Monitoring Unit.

Frequently asked questions

  • Regional plans set the long-term strategic direction for how our regions will grow and respond to change over time.

    They also assist with:

    • reflecting stakeholder interests and needs at a regional level through a statutory document
    • providing guidance to local governments for plan-making activities and development assessment
    • providing greater certainty to all stakeholders regarding regional land use priorities.

  • Significant legislative and policy changes have occurred to Queensland’s planning framework since the majority of regional plans were made.

    Regional plans are the established mechanism in Queensland’s planning framework to deliver consistent land use planning outcomes at a regional level. Our current plans differ significantly in scope, age and alignment with current legislation and most do not adequately address housing supply.

    Regional plans are being reviewed to ensure they deliver contemporary, fit-for-purpose plans addressing the priorities which matter most to unlock the supply of new homes and new jobs for communities.

  • Regional plans have a minimum 30 business day period of public consultation for making a regional plan, or a minimum of 20 business days for amending a regional plan.

    Public consultation provides opportunities for stakeholders and the community to have their say and provide their feedback on the plan. 

    Stakeholder working groups are established to ensure there is an opportunity for regional stakeholders to contribute to and provide feedback on the relevant regional plan at key stages. These stakeholders include local government, infrastructure providers, industry and interest groups.

  • The regional plans have a targeted scope, focussed on providing policy relating to the housing supply and economic state interest (tourism, agriculture, development and construction and mining and extractive resources), under the State Planning Policy.

    Each regional plan will address housing supply to help meet the target of one million homes by 2044 in Queensland. For some regions, this may include housing supply targets.

    ShapingSEQ 2023 is the first statutory regional plan to set these housing targets and provide a clear understanding of how many homes are required to meet demand.

    Through setting targets we are more easily able to track how each region is progressing towards meeting housing targets and therefore also more easily able to respond when trending off track.

  • The regional plan forward program adopts a coordinated approach which aims to improve policy alignment and better respond to region-specific challenges and opportunities by integrating the State’s infrastructure priorities, industry policies and statutory regional plans.

    The approach seeks to coordinate regional and infrastructure planning by working across the State Government to produce a combined evidence base and undertake an integrated and more efficient stakeholder engagement approach.

Last updated: 23 Mar 2026