South East Queensland, one of Australia's fastest growing regions, has the residential and industrial land available to cater for future population growth according to a new state government report.
The Land Supply and Development Report provides data on an annual basis on the density and diversity of our housing and land supply.
Importantly, the 2019 updateconfirms that housing and employment needs of SEQ are being met within the existing urban footprint.
Minister for Planning Cameron Dick said to maximise the potential of South-East Queensland it was vital that infrastructure, housing and jobs were in the right locations.
"For the next 15 years, we have enough land available to manage urban and industrial growth in the current urban footprint," he said.
"By 2041 more than 5.4 million people are expected to call south-east Queensland home, so we need to be responsibly managing that growth for our communities to thrive.
"The increase that we're seeing in diverse housing options means more choice for people when it comes to how they want to live, retire or raise a family.
"We also have more than 9000 hectares of vacant and planned industrial land available, which will provide us well for more jobs in more industries.
"The latest Land Supply and Development Monitoring Report shows that we are heading in the right direction to effectively manage growth while ensuring the region's enviable lifestyle is maintained.
"The Land Supply and Development Monitoring Report provides a regional perspective for SEQ, allowing residents to review the planning and development happening in their area.
"It's a core part of ShapingSEQ, our regional plan for the south-east, and complements our Measures that Matter dashboard, which brings together important economic, environmental and social data to track growth trends across the region.
"Our government is committed to providing councils, developers and communities with as much useful land supply information as possible, so we can all be well informed and make smarter decisions for Queenslanders."
SEQ Housing Supply Expert Panel independent chair, Julie Saunders, said this year's report was enhanced with updated data, improvements to the methodology and a new market factors report.
"The panel has worked closely with all stakeholders this year and the enhancements to the reporting are being seen in the results," Ms Saunders said.
"This is nation-leading work and goes a long way to ensuring industry and community are working together to achieve quality urban growth."
Social commentator and demographer, Bernard Salt, said it was important governments were taking a proactive approach to growth monitoring and planning.
"You can't wait for population growth to happen and then try and deal with it. Proactively ensuring the right land, housing and jobs are available is key to smart planning," Mr Salt said.
"This is great information, not just for data nerds but to build an even better Queensland for the future."
View the Land Supply and Development Monitoring Report and Measures that Matter online.
