State Reveals 14,000-Home Scheme for Gabba

While a line was put through the Gabba Olympic Stadium redevelopment plans, the suburb of Woolloongabba is earmarked for a major housing push.

The Queensland Government today (May 2) launched its community consultation on a proposed development plan for the Woolloongabba Priority Development Area (PDA), forecast to deliver more than 14,000 new homes over the next 40 years. 

It is expected that the homes will accommodate 24,000 people over the next 40 years, with new transport links to Brisbane Metro and Cross River Rail also improving connectivity in the area.

For developers, the PDA plan identifies zones for specific uses, with 50 storeys permissable in the Cross River Rail area, 20 storeys for around the Gabba stadium, 30 storeys for buildings fronting Hawthorne Street, 50 storeys around the Woolloongabba Civic area, and 30 storeys for the Mark Lane area.

The Woolloongabba PDA was launched in September 2023 and an interim land-use plan was put into effect while the development scheme was prepared. 

The 106ha area covers Kangaroo Point, East Brisbane, South Brisbane and Woolloongabba. 

The State Government has now opened the community consultation on the Woolloongabba plans, aimed at “delivering more public green space, a network of improved pedestrian connections to South Bank and the CBD while limiting urban sprawl”.

Under PDA planning rules development applications are managed by Economic Development Queensland, which will promote “fast-tracked housing”, according to the state. 

▲ The PDA divides the area into sub-area 1a (Gabba Stadium), sub-area 1b (Cross River Rail), sub-area 1c (Woolloongabba Civic) and sub-area 1d (Mark Lane).

Importantly, the Woolloongabba Plan includes requirements for 20 per cent affordable or social housing.

The consultation is open for comments until June 14, 2024. 

Scheme finalisation alongside a submissions report is expected in September 2024.

The Gabba stadium had been selected as the heart of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games but these plans were scrapped in March, to uproar by certain sectors of the public and industry.

The State Government says it wants to “unlock the potential of underutilised inner-city urban land through state-led urban renewal”.

“At the heart of this is access to high frequency underground train stations, better access to high frequency bus services, and the freedom for residents to travel to the city or South Bank without the need for a car,” Minister for State Development and Infrastructure Grace Grace said.

At the same time the Queensland Government also introduced its Help to Buy (Commonwealth Powers) Bill 2024 to Parliament today. 

The legislation is intended to support the Federal Government’s Help to Buy program. 

If implemented, it will support homebuyers who have a minimum 2 per cent deposit with an equity contribution of up to 40 per cent for new homes, or 30 per cent for existing homes. 

The move paves the way for the scheme to be introduced and the Queensland Government says it will help about 8000 Queenslanders buy a home over the next four years.

It is, however, contingent on the Federal Government passing it through Parliament and to implementation stage.