Regional planning

Regional planning plays a key role in helping Queensland meet the challenges associated with rapid growth, population change, economic development and the increasing demand for local public services across multiple local government areas. It is a core element of Qplan - Queensland’s new planning, development and building system.

Regional plans operate in conjunction with other statutory planning tools, including state planning policies, local government planning schemes, state planning regulatory provisions and development assessment processes. The Qplan framework allows regional plans to be drafted as statutory instruments under the Sustainable Planning Act 2009. Statutory regional plans generally take precedence over most planning instruments, however where required, state planning regulatory provisions can override the regional plan. Non-statutory plans provide strategic advice and direction, however they do not prevail over other planning instruments.

Regional plans identify:

  • the desired regional outcomes 
  • the policies and actions for achieving these desired regional outcomes
  • regional land use pattern
  • regional infrastructure provisions to service the future land use patterns
  • key regional environmental, economic and cultural resources to be preserved, maintained or developed.

Regional plans are developed in partnership with local councils, the community and stakeholders.

Several Queensland regions have non-statutory plans in place. These plans have been developed in close partnership with local councils, communities and business and industry representatives. These plans were developed before the commencement of statutory regional plans and do not have legislative power. The Department of Infrastructure and Planning will work with local communities to review some of the non-statutory plans to bring them into the statutory framework. 

To assist people with completing development applications that comply with regional planning requirements, Smart eDA is constantly being updated to ensure all requirements are accurately reflected.

Regional plans developed under the Integrated Planning Act 1997 remain in force under the Sustainable Planning Act 2009. As plans are updated, they will be modified to reflect the new Act. 

Existing statutory regional plans

Existing non-statutory regional plans