Moreton Bay Reveals Sprawl-Free Future for Surging Population

The future is not out but up for one of Australia’s fastest-growing regions as its council takes the covers off its vision for the next three decades. Among the plans is a motorway through the newest city in Moreton Bay, north of Brisbane, a region where 240 new residents are arriving each week. The City of Moreton Bay’s City of Tomorrow Strategy plans for the Bruce Highway Western Alternative motorway to go through Waraba. The LGA’s population is on track to double in size and have a million residents within 30 years. Positioning itself to accommodate the growth, the city plans to “go green as we grow” by increasing density in existing urban areas to maintain 75 per cent of its land for rural use or as natural landscapes. The 2045sq km region is twice the size of Logan City and Ipswich city, and much larger than Brisbane City at 1342 square kilometres. Other transport components for the city’s future include Wisk Aero pilotless air taxis and Bay Cat ferry services from Redcliffe and Brisbane City, as well as capitalising on upgraded rail services in the region. ▲ Mayor Peter Flannery with Queensland MP Andrew Powell and Federal MP Ali Frances at the launch of the plan. City of Moreton mayor Peter Flannery spoke to The Urban Developer after the strategy was revealed at the 2025 Moreton Bay Leaders Forum on Friday (October 24). “We’ve already got the land planned for our future growth so we are trying to constrain it to the existing urban footprint and are very passionate about that,” Flannery said. “Our idea to move forward is to have a policy and city model where we stop the urban sprawl and create density around infrastructure. “If we keep [allowing] urban sprawl it will cost even more to create infrastructure to service those outlying areas. “We are on a journey with the community to ... educate them on how changing densities in their own backyards is difficult but it’s the way for the future and for creating many types of housing too.” Flannery said the LGA needed the Bruce Highway Western Alternative tomorrow—or at least by 2032. “It’s been on the Department of Transport and Main Road’s books since around 2014 and we started pushing that project forward in 2020 when I became mayor,” Flannery said. “It’s not needed until 2041 according to them, which I totally disagree with—especially due to the growth happening in Waraba, where there’ll be 70,000 people before then. “The alternative will go right through the middle of that and connect Waraba to both the Bruce Highway further up north near Steve Irwin Way and also down through Petrie to Carseldine.” ▲ An indication of where the new motorway will go through Waraba and priority projects in Moreton Bay. However, there has been pushback from residents—850 submissions were made regarding stage 4 of the project, between Beerburrum and Moodlu, during a 10-week consultation period last year. The corridor originally proposed for it, the final stage of the project, was ruled out in December and a new route put forward for feedback in March. Queensland MP Andrew Powell said the Bruce Highway Western alternative would run through his Glasshouse electorate and was key to unlocking housing opportunities. “Waraba will eventually be a city the size of Rockhampton—10,500 homes are coming,” Powell said. “We are very conscious that a city growing so rapidly means investment in transport.” Waraba, west of Caboolture, will eventually be home to 70,000 people while 30,000 more are expected to live in infill developments within a 10km radius. Train line extensions through Moreton Bay and the Sunshine Coast, improving connection to the state capital, are also expected to drive population growth in the lead up to 2032 and the Games. Flannery said state and federal funding was vital to ensure train services meet the needs of people moving to the area. “We need more trains but the problem is we have seven level crossings which restricts east-west connections around communities—so, we are also lobbying to get rid of them,” Flannery said. “To replace them with overhead crossings is a huge expense—$300 million to $500 million for each one. We are calling on the state government to prioritise them. ▲ Work began on Queensland’s newest city, Waraba, in 2024 after it was declared a priority development area. He said that needed to happen as the number of trains increased to not only service the Moreton Bay region but its northern neighbour, the Sunshine Coast, where a similar wave of development is building rapidly. Modelling of the new train services by the Moreton Bay council showed boom gates at level crossings south of Petrie could be closed and delaying traffic for an hour in total during peak road use each day. Also during Friday’s forum, the state announced it had signed a $15-million funding agreement for a new wildlife hospital at Dakabin, while the Commonwealth said it would provide $1.5 million for more CCTV infrastructure across the Moreton region. To date, the state and Commonwealth have invested $20 million between them in the Bruce Highway Western Alternative, or Moreton Motorway, proposal. Moreton Bay was declared a city in August 2023 while Waraba was declared a priority development area in August the next year.

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