On 18 September 2026, Brisbane City Plan 2014 was updated to version 37.00/2026. Four adopted amendments commenced on that day. The most significant reshapes residential development across the Low-medium density residential zone, but the package also introduces a new precinct plan for the Mount Gravatt centre, adjusts the city’s industrial zoning, and makes a range of minor and administrative corrections. This update sets out what has changed and what it means for landowners, developers and industry.
More Homes, Sooner (Low-medium density residential design)
This citywide amendment revises the residential design criteria for the Low-medium density residential (LMR) zone to facilitate housing diversity and supply. According to the adopted amendment, it combines two existing LMR zone precincts into one new zone precinct, without changing the location or number of properties in the zone; increases building height to three storeys in the new precinct, and allows up to four-storey multiple dwellings on sites near frequent public transport or centres; reduces the minimum lot size in the new precinct to 120 square metres where a site is more than 400 metres walking distance from frequent public transport or centres, with specific design and servicing requirements for those lots; and simplifies assessment in the new precinct, enabling more code assessable development for multiple dwellings and small lots and reducing dual occupancies to accepted development. A related change to the Low density residential zone expands the area in which the existing 300 square metre minimum lot size applies.
We examined these reforms in detail in our earlier article, “Smaller Lots and Taller Buildings,” when the package was released. The adopted amendment gives effect to them, now organised around a single new LMR zone precinct, so the finer detail of that article should be read against the adopted precinct criteria.
Mount Gravatt Centre Suburban Renewal Precinct Plan
This tailored amendment introduces the Mount Gravatt Centre Suburban Renewal Precinct Plan, with consequential amendments to the Holland Park-Tarragindi district and Mount Gravatt corridor neighbourhood plans, and extends into areas previously outside those plans. It applies to parts of Mount Gravatt, Mount Gravatt East, Upper Mount Gravatt, Holland Park and Holland Park West. The amendment revises the Mount Gravatt corridor neighbourhood plan code for those suburbs, updates the strategic framework, zone, neighbourhood plan and overlay maps to reflect finer-grained planning for the area, and updates the Structure planning and Infrastructure design planning scheme policies. Council’s stated aim is to support more homes, local jobs and public spaces along a revitalised Logan Road corridor, close to transport, shops and parks.
Major amendment: Industry mapping
This citywide major amendment adjusts the city’s industrial zoning framework to support a diverse range of industrial activity while maintaining separation from sensitive uses such as residential communities. It changes the zoning of some properties from the General industry C zone precinct to the General industry B zone precinct, to support demand for warehousing, logistics and cleaner industries. It rezones certain Council-owned land from the General industry C zone precinct to the Open space or Conservation zone where the land is used for drainage, biodiversity or riparian and waterway corridor purposes. It also updates the Industrial amenity overlay, in the Industrial amenity investigation area sub-category, to reflect current industry operations.
Minor and administrative amendment package W
This citywide minor and administrative amendment keeps the scheme current. It updates sections of the scheme to reflect the requirements of the Planning Regulation 2017 for particular types of development that have a prescribed category of assessment or that cannot be made assessable. It makes site-specific changes to overlay mapping to reflect development approvals, correct inconsistencies and reflect site-based circumstances. It also refines wording, corrects typography and improves formatting to make the scheme easier to use.
What it means
For landowners and developers, the LMR changes are the headline: smaller lots, additional height near transport and centres, and simpler assessment for low-rise unit, townhouse and small-lot product across a large part of the city. For the Mount Gravatt corridor, the precinct plan sets the framework for renewal around the centre and should be factored into any project in the affected suburbs. For industry, the mapping amendment changes the zoning framework in parts of the city’s industrial areas, which may expand or constrain what can be done on a particular site.
Timing matters. Under s 45(7) of the Planning Act 2016, a development application is assessed against the planning scheme in effect when the application was properly made, so whether version 37 applies to a particular application depends on its properly made date. As we noted in our recent article on Philip Usher Constructions Pty Ltd v Logan City Council [2026] QPEC 33, a change that is not a minor change resets the properly made date and can bring an application under the current version of the scheme. Under s 45(8), a council may in any event give the weight it considers appropriate to a new version that commences after an application is properly made but before it is decided.
Getting the detail right
This article is a general summary and is not legal advice. The amendments are set out in full in the adopted schedules of amendments and in the current version of City Plan; the precise provisions, including the new LMR zone precinct criteria, should be checked against the instrument for any particular site. We can advise on how City Plan version 37 affects a specific property or project, including development and subdivision potential, the applicable assessment pathway, and which version of the scheme applies.
This publication is general in nature. Its content is current at the date of publication. It does not constitute legal advice and you should always seek legal advice based on your particular circumstances prior to making any decisions relating to matters covered by this publication. Certain details may have been sourced from external references, and we cannot assure the accuracy or timeliness of such information.