Suburban Salvation: Brisbane Densification Wins Praise

The high-density inner-city living spell cast as a panacea to Brisbane’s housing crisis has finally been broken. Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner is about to wave the densification wand over the city’s suburbs in a review aimed at expanding its low-medium density residential (LMR) zones. And he says if the council gets it right, the move will enable the development industry to deliver up to 6000 new homes by 2032. Not only that but, hopefully, homes more people can actually afford. “We have been guilty of obsessing over the inner-city and its alleged magical and mystical powers to provide all things to people,” Suburban Futures director Ross Elliott—who also chairs Brisbane City Council’s Better Suburbs Initiative—said. “But it doesn’t. Very few people work in the inner city. Fewer still can afford to live there.” He pointed to the housing targets in the updated South East Queensland Regional Plan gazetted in December of 2023. “The notion that we’re going to deliver such a high proportion of dwellings of high density, that’s out. That’s gone, that’s dead and buried as an idea,” Elliott said. “Because the only high-density [residential] that really works in today’s market is high-end. “And so there’s not going to be enough affordable additional dwellings produced if you’re constrained by that. You’ve got to do something else and that’s essentially what the council is looking to do. “It’s the suburbs where 80 per cent of the people who call Brisbane home live, work and play and the reality is we’ve got to understand the tap that is available in the suburbs is the one we’ve got to turn on.” In announcing the council’s review, Schrinner said that on the latest Demographia International Housing Affordability index, which uses a price-to-income ratio, Brisbane was rated 11th and deemed less affordable than London and Toronto. “Brisbane has an incredibly bright future,” he said. “We have amazing opportunities as a city but if people can’t afford to live here, what’s the point? “There’s only one simplistic solution,” he said. “You keep housing more affordable if supply matches or exceeds demand…by building more housing.” ▲ Suburban Futures director and Brisbane City Council’s Better Suburbs Initiative chair Ross Elliott. Schrinner said not too long ago in the 2016 period Brisbane was accused of having an oversupply of units. “But what it did was it moderated the price growth in unts for years afterwards.” He said the city was now under “massive growth pressure” with its population expected to increase from 1.32 million to 1.72 million people by 2046. And, by then, it will need 210,000 new homes. “We know that we need a mix of housing going forward, and we know that it’s not all going to be solved in one particular zone either,” Schrinner said. “I think it’s quite easy these days to convince people that it’s okay to have tall buildings in the inner city. That issue has moved on. “But, obviously, now we need to look at other opportunities to deliver more different types of housing as well. So we’re moving out of our comfort zone…and we are going into the heart of suburban Brisbane.” Schrinner said the review was aimed at opening up more LMR zoned areas, which currently make up about 14 per cent of the city. The zoning allows for a range of housing options, including up to three-storey buildings in specific areas. “This is all about getting more homes faster. It’s all about improving development feasibility. It’s about expanding the housing choice for people, including first home buyers, in more parts of Brisbane.” ▲ Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner. According to the latest available data, the city’s existing LMR zoned areas were underperforming with the number of homes built in them falling to 445 in 2023. By comparison, the 10-year average in the zone was well over 1110 homes a year. “This review will look at things like car parking requirements, building heights, lot sizes, red tape reduction and also identify new areas where low-to-medium density residential can be built in this city,” Schrinner said. “We’re focusing on areas with existing infrastructure—close to public transport, shops, schools and jobs—where modest well-designed increases in housing density can deliver a significant impact.” Queensland Property Council executive director Jess Caire welcomed the move to increase housing supply in Brisbane’s suburbs. “It has never been harder to build the homes we need,” she said. “And we welcome council’s ongoing efforts to partner with industry to address development barriers and deliver more homes.” Planning Institute Queensland manager Nicole Bennetts said council’s review was “a chance to strike the right balance” and enable more housing choice—such as duplexes, triplexes, and terraces—in well-located neighbourhoods. “These types of homes provide a middle ground between traditional detached houses and high-rise apartments,” she said. “The LMR zone has a crucial role to play in Brisbane’s housing future, enabling a greater diversity of low-rise homes that offer real, attainable choices for a wide range of households.” Urban planning and development consultancy Therefor Group executive director and YIMBY Qld co-founder Natalie Rayment said the review was a step in the right direction that had been a long time coming. “It’s great that we’re starting to look at solutions for improving diversity within all our neighborhoods and suburbs,” she said. “We’ve zoned out a lot of things so let’s start zoning them back in.” But she warned: “It has to come with better opportunities to make it work financially from a feasibility perspective, or nothing will happen out of it. “So we do have to reduce costs through it…and let’s also make sure that it’s not too complicated. It can’t take forever. Let’s get this happening now because housing delayed is housing denied as well.” Rayment said another challenge ahead will be that much of the fabric of the LMR-zoned land—traditionally, a lot of the inner suburbs that have sprung up around the city’s rail lines—is now mapped as character housing. ▲ Therefor Group executive director and YIMBY Qld co-founder Natalie Rayment. “And so that’s protected under our current planning scheme and perhaps in our community psyche as well,” she said. “So maybe that’s the new conversation that will come out of this. Do we have to be much more particular or discreet about what we are protecting where we need to create better opportunities for more housing? “For too long we’ve had a system that just makes everything harder and less diverse and more expensive to build, or more difficult or slower to get an approval. “But if this is the turning point, then I’m excited.” Suburban Futures’ Ross Elliott agrees. “Business as usual won’t get us out of this [housing crisis],” he said. “It’s not going to work. Business as usual takes too long, it’s just so flawed and it doesn’t produce outcomes—let alone outcomes the community is embracing. “So we just have to re-look at what those business as usual approaches are and see how we can change and make them better. “And the thing about suburban renewal precincts is they aren’t as prone, in my view at least, to community objections. “Because who really would object to a disused factory that’s now home to more rats than people being converted into a suburban version of, say, West Village [a lauded mixed-use precinct in Brisbane’s inner-city West End]? “That, to me, is what success will look like.” LMR Zoning with Suburbs ▲ LMR zonings in pink. Source: Brisbane City Council

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Phil Bartsch
Thu 22 May 25

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