Brisbane’s lord mayor Adrian Schrinner has announced a sweeping review into low-to-medium density residential zoning (LMR), marking a bold move to tackle the housing affordability crisis head-on. With only 445 homes built in these LMR areas in 2023 — down from a ten-year average of over 1,100 — the council is facing mounting pressure to unlock housing supply across the city.

“We have amazing opportunities as a city, but if people can’t afford to live here, what’s the point?”

— Adrian Schrinner, Lord Mayor of Brisbane

A Red Tape Reckoning

The review will target car parking requirements, building height limits, lot sizes and planning processes — all in an effort to reduce red tape and boost development feasibility. The initiative will also aim to pinpoint new suburbs and areas close to existing infrastructure — public transport, shops, and schools — that could support a higher yield of LMR projects.

“It’s about expanding the housing choice for people, including first home buyers hopefully in more parts of Brisbane.”

— Schrinner

While the move doesn’t go as far as banning Airbnbs or taxing vacant homes — which the mayor labelled as “simplistic solutions that rarely work” — the plan is built on one principle: build more homes.

6,000 New Homes by 2032?

That’s the ambitious number Schrinner has placed on the table. But while zoning reform might increase the potential for new homes, those on the tools say it’s not the only challenge.

“We can’t get enough people to do the work ahead of us.”

— Paul Bidwell, Master Builders Queensland

The Property Council welcomed the move, but echoed the same call made by almost every major building industry voice in the country: it’s time to solve the labour bottleneck.

A Puzzle With Missing Pieces

The initiative has been described as “one piece of the puzzle” — and that’s probably the best way to view it. Planning reform is essential. But until tradies, apprentices, and subcontractors are more readily available, paper approvals won’t translate into built homes.

REIQ’s Antonia Mercorella also noted the challenge of overcoming public resistance — or “NIMBYism” — to densification in suburban pockets.

“The time feels right — you can sense that the community is starting to understand the scale of the problem.”

— Antonia Mercorella, CEO, REIQ

There’s cautious optimism. But this is only the beginning.

What to Watch

• How fast the Brisbane City Council moves from review to reform?
• Whether zoning changes meaningfully unlock new development?
• If state and federal efforts to boost the construction workforce catch up in time?
  
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Author: The Good Builder

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