The Queensland Government wants more than 4,000 extra homes in Bowen Hills. The draft scheme that would allow them also removes the affordable housing, family sized dwelling, green building and value uplift requirements that apply there today.

The Queensland Government has released draft amendments to the Bowen Hills Priority Development Area Development Scheme, the planning document that controls what can be built across 108 hectares of inner northern Brisbane.

Economic Development Queensland (EDQ) says the changes would fast track more than 4,000 additional homes on top of the 23,000 already planned over the life of the PDA. That takes the projected total to around 27,000.

The most visible change is height. The less visible changes are in what the draft takes out.

Public submissions are open until 9 October 2026.

Bowen Hills sits beside the main 2032 Games precinct

Bowen Hills is about 3 kilometres from the Brisbane CBD. The PDA takes in the Brisbane Showgrounds, the Old Museum, Perry Park, Bowen Park, and both Bowen Hills and Exhibition railway stations.

It was declared on 28 March 2008. Its Development Scheme took effect in July 2009 and has been amended three times since, most recently in December 2022.

The area neighbours the planned Victoria Park precinct, which the government intends to link with the new Brisbane Stadium, the National Aquatic Centre and the Showgrounds. The Showgrounds are also the site of the Brisbane Athletes Village, which the state has said will house more than 10,000 athletes and officials during the Olympic Games before becoming permanent housing.

Heights in the Mixed Use zone would rise from 30 to 50 storeys

Under the current scheme, the tallest buildings in the Mixed Use zone top out at 30 storeys, and only on sites of 3,000 square metres or more.

The draft lifts that to 50 storeys for the same site size. Plot ratios on the largest sites rise too, from 8:1 and 9:1 to 10:1 and 12:1.

Smaller sites keep the same stepped heights as before: 8, 16 and 24 storeys depending on site area.

The draft also frames its built form tables as acceptable outcomes. EDQ describes these as one way of showing a proposal is consistent with the scheme, not the only way. That leaves room for performance based proposals that sit outside the numbers.

The most visible change is height. The less visible changes are in what the draft takes out.

The draft removes affordable housing and dwelling mix targets

The current scheme requires at least 10 per cent of residential gross floor area to be dwellings with three or more bedrooms.

It also requires at least 5 per cent of residential gross floor area to be public, social or affordable housing, spread through the development rather than set apart.

The draft replaces both with a single, broader outcome. Development is to provide a variety of dwelling sizes, layouts and configurations to suit a range of households. No percentage targets carry over.

EDQ groups this change under the removal of what it calls restrictive housing provisions.

Green building certification and value uplift charges would go

Today, buildings in the PDA must achieve a minimum 6 leaf EnviroDevelopment certification, a minimum 4 star Green Star Design and As Built rating, or an equivalent.

The draft removes that certification requirement. It keeps broader outcomes on water sensitive urban design and energy efficient design, such as building orientation and natural light, without a rating tool attached.

Value uplift charges would also be removed. Under the current scheme, approvals that exceed the yield available under the superseded Brisbane City Plan 2000 pay a charge on the extra floor area.

Standard infrastructure charges sit outside this amendment. They are set through the separate Development Charges and Offset Plan, last updated in July 2026.

What is a value uplift charge?

A value uplift charge is a payment attached to a Priority Development Area approval where the approved development yields more floor area than the land was entitled to under the planning scheme that applied before the PDA was declared. In Bowen Hills, it applies only to gross floor area above the yield set by the superseded Brisbane City Plan 2000. It is separate from standard infrastructure charges. The draft Bowen Hills scheme proposes removing it.

A new land use opens the door to craft breweries and distilleries

The draft introduces a use called Artisan food and drink industry. It covers small scale production of food or drink, paired with a shop, a bar or food outlet, or tastings and tours.

Production is capped at 25,000 litres of alcohol a year for a distillery and 500 tonnes a year for a craft brewery.

The government has positioned this as the basis for a dining and hospitality district near the Showgrounds.

The same approach has already been applied in Woolloongabba and Northshore Hamilton

EDQ says the Bowen Hills changes bring the scheme into line with amendments already made in the Woolloongabba and Northshore Hamilton PDAs. We covered the consultation on those two schemes in August 2025.

The government reports that housing related development applications in Woolloongabba rose 466 per cent within 12 months of its scheme being amended. The underlying application data has not been published alongside that figure.

UDIA Queensland chief executive Kirsty Chessher-Brown said the draft responds to industry feedback on the feasibility of urban renewal in current conditions. She described increasing supply as the only way through the housing shortfall.

What the changes mean for feasibility and delivery

For developers and the builders who deliver inner city apartments, the draft changes several inputs at once.

More height and plot ratio on large sites lifts potential yield. Removing the uplift charge and the certification requirement takes cost lines out of a project budget. Dropping the affordable housing and three bedroom targets changes what a project has to include.

The current requirements were written to secure affordable homes, family sized apartments and a minimum environmental standard. The draft leaves those outcomes to the market. Whether that trade is the right one is the question the consultation puts to the public.

Planning settings are one input. Whether towers of this scale proceed will still depend on construction costs, presales and finance.

Our reporting on the North Harbour Priority Development Area showed how far apart a planning decision and the first homes can sit.

Submissions close on 9 October

The draft scheme is on public notification from 17 September to 9 October 2026. Submissions are made in writing to the Minister for Economic Development Queensland, with the submitter’s name and contact details.

They can be lodged by post, by email, or online through the EDQ Have Your Say page.

Until the amended scheme takes effect, EDQ continues to assess applications in Bowen Hills against the December 2022 version.

Bowen Hills will be one of Brisbane’s busiest construction zones between now and 2032. This draft decides what the area is allowed to become once the Games have gone, and which of today’s requirements come with it.

Frequently asked questions

Related articles

• Gabba and Northshore PDAs Set to Deliver 26,000 Homes
• GRAYA Selected for a Northshore Hamilton Riverfront Site
• First Homes Underway at North Harbour Twelve Months After Declaration

Last updated 18 September 2026. Figures reflect the draft scheme on public notification. The final scheme may differ.

General Information Only: This article provides general information about planning and industry developments and does not constitute legal, financial or planning advice. Readers should seek independent professional advice relevant to their circumstances before making decisions.

Author: TGB Editorial