SEQ plan revealed: More density, more housing and skyscrapers for Kurilpa
The State Government has given the green light to a plan for the massive redevelopment of inner city Kurilpa as it also laid down new guidelines for south east Queensland councils to cope with a major population boom.
Aug 02, 2023, updated May 22, 2025
Part of South Brisbane's Kurilpa precinct. (Image: BCC)
The approval of the Brisbane City Council proposal for Kurilpa would pave the way for new building heights similar to those of the CBD.
The decision came as the Government also released its draft south-east regional plan that would increase density in areas of Brisbane and allow for 900,000 new homes in SEQ by 2046 as it tries to deal with an extra 2.2 million new residents.
That would mean more infill development.
The Kurilpa plan was also likely to start a political brawl over the inner city densification. When the plan was debated in council it was opposed by Labor, the Greens and an independent and was now likely to be a key issue in upcoming council and state elections.
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When the Kurilpa plan was debated in council, Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said it would provide housing for 10,000 in the area that borders South Brisbane and West End.
It would also mean developers cannot build a tower with one style of apartment such as those with just one bedroom. The Kurilpa plan would also set maximum carparking levels rather than the current mimimum levels.
The new plan would allow for building heights that could accommodate 90 storeys. However, that was not a certain outcome.
Deputy Premier and Planning Minister Steve Miles said the Government supported the plan while also including an affordability target of 20 per cent.
That affordability target aligns with the draft SEQ regional plan which tells councils that they have to include a diversity of housing choices.
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The plans were aimed at accommodating population growth which is expected to see the state’s population grow to six million and would increase the density of housing in areas with appropriate transport infrastructure.
Miles said the Government would work with councils to unlocking different types of housing and he supported the Brisbane City Council’s plans for growth.
The Kurilpa plan allows for the suspension of planning guidelines for two years to pave the way for higher density to relax car parking requirements.
Schrinner said the Kurilpa plan was an anti-sprawl approach.
In exchange for the higher levels of buildings, developers would have to meet stronger sustainability requirements.
“Combined with its existing train, bus and active transport infrastructure, Kurilpa will become a beautiful and sustainable community with a diverse range of homes, where owning a car is optional,” he said.
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