Change in density in residential areas
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Key finding
Queenslanders are living at higher dwelling densities over time, including on smaller lots in new urban subdivisions.
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Queensland or regional plan:
- Central Queensland Regional Plan
- North Queensland Regional Plan
- Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday Regional Plan
- Cape York Regional Plan
- North West Regional Plan
- South West Regional Plan
- South East Queensland Regional Plan (ShapingSEQ)
- Central West Regional Plan
- Darling Downs Regional Plan
- Gulf Regional Development Plan
- Wide Bay Burnett Regional Plan
- Far North Regional Plan
Regional planning areas (select locations to filter information)
Queensland
The dwelling density for Queensland increased from 11.4 dwellings/ha to 13.5 dwellings/ha between 2011 and 2016. Over a similar period, median lot sizes for urban lots registered in Queensland decreased from 604 m2 for the year ending September 2012 to 465 m2 for the year ending September 2017.
While the increased dwelling density in Queensland is predominantly influenced by increased dwelling density in South East Queensland, up from 14.0 dwellings/ha in 2011 to 16.2 dwellings/ha in 2016, dwelling density has increased in most other regions as well.
The increased volume of urban lot registrations in SEQ — from 7,428 or 59% of all new lots in Queensland for the year ending September 2012 to 14,151 or 87% for the year ending September 2017 — has significantly affected median lot sizes for Queensland. Median lot sizes for SEQ declined from 524 m2 in 2012 to 450 m2 in 2017.
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Central Queensland regional planning area
The dwelling density of the Central Queensland region increased from 6.2 dwellings/ha to 6.5 dwellings/ha between 2011 and 2016.
Median lot sizes in Central Queensland increased from 719m2 for the year ending September 2012 to 801m2 for the year ending September 2017. Significantly fewer lot registrations were recorded in the latter period — down from 1,608 in 2012 to 177 in 2017. Changes in median lot size may be attributed to the reduced overall demand for new lots. This may have also affected the mix of lots created in terms of location.
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North Queensland regional planning area
The dwelling density of the North Queensland region increased from 8.3 dwellings/ha to 8.6 dwellings/ha between 2011 and 2016.
Median lot sizes in North Queensland increased from 576m2 for the year ending September 2012 to 626m2 for the year ending September 2017. Over the same period, the number of lot registrations decreased, from 1043 in 2012 to 962 in 2017.
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Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday regional planning area
The dwelling density of the Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday region increased from 6.8 dwellings/ha to 6.9 dwellings/ha between 2011 and 2016.
Median lot sizes in Mackay Isaac Whitsunday region increased from 676 m2 for the year ending September 2012 to 796 m2 for the year ending September 2017. Over the same period, lot registrations decreased very significantly from 1301 in 2012 to 163 in 2017. Changes in median lot size may be attributed to the reduced overall demand for new lots. This may have also affected the mix of lots created in terms of location.
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North West Queensland regional planning area
The dwelling density of the North West region increased slightly from 7.1 dwellings/ha to 7.2 dwellings/ha between 2011 and 2016.
No median lot size data was available for the North West region.
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South West Queensland regional planning area
The dwelling density of the South West region increased slightly from 3 dwellings/ha to 3.1 dwellings/ha between 2011 and 2016.
No median lot size data was available for the South West region.
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South East Queensland regional planning area
The SEQ region has the highest dwelling density in Queensland and had the greatest increase in density, increasing from 13.6 dwellings/ha in 2011 to 16.2 dwellings/ha in 2016.
Median lot sizes declined from 524m2 for the year ending September 2012 to 450m2 for the year ending September 2017. Lot registrations increased from 7,428 in 2012 to 14,151 in 2017.
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Central West regional planning area
The dwelling density of the Central West region remained static between 2011 and 2016, at 2.6 dwellings/ha
No median lot size data was available for the Central West region.
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Darling Downs regional planning area
The dwelling density of the Darling Downs region increased from 5.4 dwellings/ha to 5.7 dwellings/ha between 2011 and 2016.
Median lot sizes in the Darling Downs region increased slightly from 814m2 for the year ending September 2012 to 827m2 for the year ending September 2017. Lot registrations in the Darling Downs decreased in number from 610 in 2012 to 528 in 2017.
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Wide Bay Burnett regional planning area
The dwelling density of the Wide Bay Burnett region increased slightly from 5.1 dwellings/ha to 5.3 dwellings/ha between 2011 and 2016.
Median lot sizes in Wide Bay Burnett increased from 721m2 for the year ending September 2012 to 800m2 for the year ending September 2017. Lot registrations increased from 546 in 2012 to 961 in 2017.
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Gulf regional planning area
The dwelling density of the Gulf region remained static between 2011 and 2016, at 1.4 dwellings/ha.
No median lot size data was available for the Gulf region.
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Far North Queensland regional planning area
The dwelling density of the Far North Queensland region increased from 8.7 dwellings/ha to 9.2 dwellings/ha between 2011 and 2016.
Median lot sizes in Far North Queensland decreased from 655m2 for the year ending September 2012 to 592m2 for the year ending September 2017. Over the same period, lot registrations increased from 312 in 2012 to 605 in 2017.
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Cape York regional planning area
The dwelling density of the Cape York region decreased slightly from 1.8 dwellings/ha to 1.7 dwellings/ha between 2011 and 2016.
No median lot size data was available for Cape York.
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Indicator: Change in density in residential areas
Changes in housing density have been calculated using the mean population weighted dwelling density for all Census mesh blocks in each region, which provides a measure of the average local dwelling density at which the population of a region lives, comparable to the net residential density figures used by some regional plans. This is more meaningful than a gross density averaged across the whole area of a region, because all regions comprise large areas without urban settlement, and non-residential mesh blocks with no dwellings or no population have no weight in the calculation (see glossary for further information) (data sourced from Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2074.0 Mesh Block Counts 2011 and 2016). Median lot size data for Queensland planning regions compares data for urban lot registrations (60 m2 to < 2500 m2) for the years ending September 2012 and September 2017. Data is presented only for those parts of Queensland that are covered by the Queensland Treasury residential development profiles (data sourced from Queensland Government Statistician’s Office, Queensland Treasury).