Inclusionary Planning Pilot

The Homes for Queenslanders (HfQ) plan sets a target of one million new homes by 2046. This goal aims to address housing affordability, supply, and the state’s growing population.

Part of the HfQ plan is piloting inclusionary planning in Queensland. We aim to work with industry and the community to show how inclusionary planning can be implemented successfully. Five pilot projects will undertake a learn-by-doing approach to develop a policy response for inclusionary planning that works for Queensland.

Led by the State Facilitated Development team, the pilot program will explore different mechanisms to enable Queenslanders to buy or rent a home at an affordable rate, including exploring ‘affordable forever’. Applicants involved in the pilot program will benefit from a streamlined planning approval pathway and a dedicated project team to help realise the housing potential of an appropriate site. The pilot projects will require 20% of social and/or affordable housing.

By working with Community Housing Providers (registered under the Housing Act 2003) and the wider private development sector, the provision of dwellings through inclusionary planning ensures dwellings are maintained as affordable housing for target groups over time.

The 5 pilot models of inclusionary planning will test the impact of one or more of the following measures on development feasibility, some of which are already being provided by the State Facilitated Development pathway.

  1. Mandatory Inclusionary Planning: requiring a fixed percentage of affordable homes in developments as a condition of the planning approval.
  2. Voluntary Incentives: encouraging affordable housing provision by reducing development costs, such as application fees and infrastructure charges relief for the development.
  3. Planning Controls Incentives: relaxing or improving upon specified development controls in exchange for constructing dedicated affordable housing.
  4. Planning Process Incentives: streamlining the planning pathway to reduce time and cost for developments that deliver a component of affordable housing.
  5. Affordable Forever: applying covenants to the title to ensure that a home remains affordable for future buyers and renters, not just the initial occupants.

Our criteria for affordable housing considers design factors such as dwelling type, composition, construction method, size, and level of finish. The pilot program will assess how market rates are determined and the level below these rates at which affordable housing is to be offered in various areas of Queensland. The State Facilitated Development team will learn from examples across Australia and internationally to refine these definitions and measurements.

The pilot program will work with the Office of the Queensland Government Architect to explore design standards and requirements that may be used to define how affordable dwellings could be designed, the size, and where within a building they may be located. Exploring these specifications will ensure that dwellings delivered through inclusionary housing schemes meet the needs of target groups, support social equity, and reflect the level of affordability appropriate for different locations. The pilot program will look to work in partnership with proponents to test and adapt key elements of these models to inform an inclusionary housing approach for Queensland.

Pilot projects can also apply for financial incentives via the $350 million Incentivising Infill Development Fund. The Incentivising Infill Development Fund is aimed at encouraging housing development and addressing housing demand. Combining these approaches allows for streamlined development processes, financial incentives, and a strategic approach to housing supply.

Email SFD@dsdilgp.qld.gov.au for more detailed information about the pilot program.

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Last updated: 05 Jun 2024