Residential building approvals in the Rockhampton Region are the highest they've been in 12 years, increasing by 62 per cent in the last financial year alone.
In the 2025-26 financial year there were 329 residential building approvals highlighting strong development activity and growing confidence in the local housing market.
To keep pace with the region's growth, the 2026/27 Budget commits $6 million to planning, building, local laws and development assessment, helping drive efficient approvals, strong compliance and sustainable development outcomes.
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data compiled by .id (Informed Decisions) also shows that in the 2025/26 financial year:
- $188.9 million in residential buildings were approved
- $240.5 million in non-residential buildings were approved
- The total value of buildings approved reached $429.4 million
These are the highest approval values recorded in the Informed Decisions dashboard, which tracks data back to 2017/18.
As development activity continues to accelerate across the Region, Council is delivering strategic initiatives to support growth, housing supply and affordability.
This includes the Local Housing Action Plan, which outlines practical measures to increase housing choice, and the Growing South Gracemere Local Area Plan, which will help guide future residential growth and infrastructure delivery in one of the Region's fastest-growing communities.
Supporting these initiatives is part of Council's planning and assessment function, which plays a critical role in facilitating development and providing certainty for industry, investors and residents.
Council is also working to reduce barriers to development by fast-tracking eligible affordable housing projects, streamlining approval pathways where possible, and working closely with government, community housing providers and industry to bring more homes to market sooner.
Together, these initiatives and Council's strong development approval performance are helping create the conditions needed to accommodate growth, increase housing choice and improve affordability across the Region.
Quotes attributable to Rockhampton Regional Council Mayor, Tony Williams
"These record figures show that people are choosing Rockhampton to live and invest.
"Housing is one of the biggest challenges facing communities across Australia, which is why we're focused on doing everything within our control to support the delivery of new housing.
"By maintaining efficient assessment processes and working with developers, industry and government, we're helping create the conditions needed for more homes to be built and for our communities to continue to grow."
Quotes attributable to Planning and Regulation Councillor Grant Mathers:
"While housing delivery involves many stakeholders, Council has a clear role to play in ensuring development applications are assessed efficiently and consistently, giving proponents greater certainty and helping projects progress sooner.
"The 62 per cent increase in residential approvals is an encouraging result and reflects both strong market activity and Council's commitment to streamlining processes where possible.
"Through initiatives such as the Local Housing Action Plan and our focus on reducing barriers to appropriate development, we're helping increase housing supply and supporting more diverse and affordable housing options for our community."
Sources:https://economy.id.com.au/rockhampton/value-of-building-approvals andhttps://housing.id.com.au/rockhampton/housing-and-approvals/
