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 State 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) and regional industry and economic policy (Regional Transformation Strategies).

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 regional communities.

It harmonises economic, infrastructure and land use planning to accelerate and coordinate government action in regions on policy priorities like decarbonisation and affordable, 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.

They support economic growth, development and liveable communities while protecting natural resources and reconciling state interests outlined in the State Planning Policy.

The scope of fit-for-purpose statutory regional plans:

  • reflect government’s priorities for the region to determine land use and inform infrastructure planning
  • provide an evidence-based framework to guide decision making of government
  • provide clarity around land use conflicts and priority land uses
  • focus and respond to issues at a regional scale rather than at a local scale (specifically where there is a gap between local government planning and state planning policy)
  • assist state and local governments to align their land use, economic and infrastructure planning priorities, to manage growth more effectively
  • identify improvements for inter and intra-regional linkages
  • help protect important environmental and cultural attributes in the region.

Current regional plans

Interactive regional plan mapping for each regional area.

Regional plan forward program

The regional plan forward program adopts a coordinated approach that 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 State Government has committed to reviewing all statutory regional plans that are older than five years.  As a new first step in this process, the State Government is proposing to consult on the purpose and scope of each regional plan being reviewed having regard to each region’s unique characteristics and future needs. This new step is a call to action for each region to provide feedback on their priorities to help refine the focus and intent of a regional plan review.

There is a need for Queensland’s regional plans to be more dynamic and able to respond faster to wider trends and geopolitical change over the planning horizon.

The Queensland Government will work with local governments, First Nations peoples, the community and key industry / sectorial groups to deepen the understanding of all stakeholders interests.

    • Far North Queensland (underway)
    • Cape York (underway)
    • Central Queensland (commenced)
    • Central West (commenced)
    • Darling Downs (commenced)
    • Gulf Regional Development Plan (commenced)
    • Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday (commenced)
    • Maranoa-Balonne (commenced)
    • North West (commenced)
    • South West (commenced).

As part of the scoping exercise underway for regional plan reviews, the State Government is exploring the opportunity to consolidate Outback Queensland into a single regional plan area (the Gulf, North West, Central West and South West regions) and consolidate the Darling Downs with Maranoa-Balonne region. Further consultation will be undertaken with stakeholders through the regional planning process to confirm this approach.

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.

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
    • prioritising actions that deliver place-based policy outcomes relating to regional economic, social and environmental matters
    • 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.

    The transition to a low-carbon economy and resultant changes to traditional industries is creating new pressures and competition for how land across Queensland is used, impacting all sectors including housing, energy, agriculture and resources. This presents an immediate and ongoing need to provide clear direction to where and how proposed development and activities are planned to occur across Queensland.

    Regional plans are the established mechanism in Queensland’s planning framework for the delivery of consistent land use planning outcomes for a region through contextualising and reconciling individual state interests articulated in the State Planning Policy.

    The Queensland Government is committed to reviewing all regional plans older than five years, concentrating planning and engagement efforts on resolving critical regional land use issues and ensuring that regional Queensland is best positioned to respond to emerging opportunities.

  • The regional plan reviews include a statutory notification period for draft versions of new regional plans (60 business days) or targeted amendments to regional plans (30 business days).

    Public consultation provides opportunities for the community to have their say and provide their ideas on the future of their region. 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.

    All reviews will involve collaboration with First Nations peoples within each region to ensure a co-ordinated approach to planning and decision making. Regional plans can identify and protect the unique, local Indigenous cultural heritage and support economic growth and tourism opportunities linked to the region’s Indigenous and cultural heritage.

  • The regional plan forward program aligns with the National Housing Accord and Planning Reform Blueprint and Homes for Queenslanders.

    Homes for Queenslanders includes a target for one million new homes by 2046 across Queensland. To help meet this target, Homes for Queenslanders commits to inclusion of mandatory housing targets within regional plans.

    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.

    Housing targets in statutory regional plans will be frequently reviewed to ensure they keep pace with demand and housing need.

  • Queensland is a state with high environmental and cultural values, rich in critical minerals and opportunities for renewable energy and agricultural production. All these sectors assist in achieving priorities such as decarbonisation and food security. As the state’s population and industries continue to grow, increased pressures are placed on land, housing and infrastructure.

    New ways are being explored to prioritise land uses, through the development of different modelling processes and decision-making frameworks that will inform regional plan drafting.

  • The regional plan forward program adopts a coordinated approach that 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: 29 Jul 2024