South East Queensland — Council Development Profile

Brisbane City Council

Queensland's capital and the engine of the 2032 Olympic city

Brisbane is Queensland's capital, its largest local government area, and the host city of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. As one of two land-constrained, high-growth LGAs in South East Queensland, Brisbane's future supply is directed overwhelmingly toward infill, medium- and high-rise housing in inner-city and transit-oriented precincts — making it the region's most important market for apartment and mixed-use development.

Brisbane CBD skyline from the Story Bridge

Photo: Kgbo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Development Snapshot

Population

~1.31 million (ERP, 2024)

Projected Population 2046

~1.7 million

Dwelling Target to 2046

Major infill share of SEQ's +863,800 new homes (ShapingSEQ 2023)

Planning Scheme

Brisbane City Plan 2014 (regularly amended)

Land Area

~1,343 km²

Median House Price

~$1.04M (CoreLogic, 2025)

ShapingSEQ 2023; QGSO population projections 2023; CoreLogic 2025; Brisbane City Council. Figures are indicative and should be verified before any transaction.

Planning & Zoning

Development is governed by Brisbane City Plan 2014, a frequently amended scheme with active 2025–26 major amendment packages affecting centres such as Indooroopilly, Carindale and Nundah. Growth is concentrated in high-amenity, transit-rich precincts:

Inner-city renewal: Newstead/Teneriffe, Bowen Hills/Albion, Woolloongabba, Kangaroo Point, West End/Kurilpa, Nundah
Principal centre: the Brisbane CBD, plus major centres at Chermside, Carindale, Indooroopilly and Upper Mt Gravatt
Cross River Rail station precincts (Boggo Road, Woolloongabba, Albert Street, Roma Street) as new density catchments

Growth & Demographics

Brisbane's estimated resident population is around 1.31 million (2024) and is projected to grow toward 1.7 million by 2046. ShapingSEQ 2023 identifies Brisbane as a land-constrained LGA where the dwelling-diversity target shifts the detached-house share down and lifts medium- and high-rise product, in line with the region-wide move toward a 60/40 (and ultimately 70/30) consolidation-to-expansion split.

Development Pipeline & Approvals

Brisbane carries an unprecedented infrastructure and renewal pipeline anchored by the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games:

Victoria Park main stadium precinct and Brisbane Arena
Cross River Rail — a 10km line with twin river tunnels and new underground CBD stations
Brisbane Metro and the recently opened Queen's Wharf integrated resort

City Plan 2014 has been amended 30-plus times, with a strong inner-city densification DA pipeline driven by Olympic-led renewal.

Investment Angle

Brisbane is the engine of SEQ growth and the 2032 host city, driving a $7bn-plus transport and venue program. As a land-constrained LGA, planning policy explicitly pushes growth into attached, medium- and high-rise housing in inner and transit-oriented precincts — a durable tailwind for infill apartment and mixed-use development. Tight supply plus sustained interstate migration has delivered double-digit price growth.

Own land or a site in this council area?

South Az Holdings partners with property owners across South East Queensland to unlock development potential — through a sale, a joint venture, or a finished development.

Talk to South Az Holdings