Housing diversity in Queensland
You are viewing an archived copy of the 2017 report.
Key finding
Detached dwellings dominate Queensland’s housing stock, accounting for 75.8% of existing dwelling stock, however building approvals for high-rise (attached 4+ storeys) dwellings were relatively high in 2016–2017.
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Queensland or regional plan:
- Darling Downs Regional Plan
- Cape York Regional Plan
- Gulf Regional Development Plan
- Far North Regional Plan
- North Queensland Regional Plan
- North West Regional Plan
- Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday Regional Plan
- Central West Regional Plan
- Central Queensland Regional Plan
- South West Regional Plan
- Wide Bay Burnett Regional Plan
- South East Queensland Regional Plan (ShapingSEQ)
Regional planning areas (select locations to filter information)
Queensland
Queensland had 1,930,965 dwellings in 2016, with building approvals in 2016–2017 for a further 42,414 dwellings. Of the total dwellings in 2016, detached dwellings accounted for 75.8% (1,463,630 dwellings), attached dwellings (1–3 storeys) accounted for 19.7% (379,651 dwellings) and high-rise dwellings (attached 4+ storeys) accounted for 4.5% (87,684 dwellings).
The SEQ region accounted for 98% of approved high-rise dwellings (attached 4+ storeys) in Queensland in 2016–2017. High approvals for high-rise dwellings over that period were accompanied by a low proportion of detached dwellings approved across Queensland, compared to dwelling stock in 2016. Outside SEQ, the proportions of dwellings approved that are detached dwellings are mostly in line with dwelling stock in 2016.
Building approvals for attached dwellings (1–3 storeys) in SEQ for 2016–2017 (8,722 dwellings) also comprise the bulk of such approvals in Queensland, with only 309 attached dwellings (1–3 storeys) approved for the rest of Queensland in the same time period.
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Central Queensland regional planning area
In 2016, there were 95,963 dwellings in the Central Queensland regional planning area.
Building approvals data indicates a further 640 new dwellings were approved in 2016–2017.
Detached dwellings account for 86.9% of existing dwelling stock (83,377 dwellings at the 2016 Census) and 87.3% of approved dwellings in 2016–2017 (559 dwellings). Ten per cent (62 dwellings) of recently approved dwellings were for high-rise (attached 4+ storeys) compared to 0.8% of existing stock (801 dwellings). Attached dwellings (1–3 storeys) comprised 3% (19 dwellings) of all 2016–2017 building approvals compared to 12.3% (11,785 dwellings) of existing dwelling stock.
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North Queensland regional planning area
North Queensland region had 96,863 dwellings in 2016 with a further 890 dwellings approved in 2016–2017.
North Queensland dwelling stock comprised mostly detached houses (81.7% or 79,158 dwellings). Building approvals for 2016–2017 further consolidated that stock, with 87% (774 dwellings) of approved dwellings being detached dwellings.
In 2016, 16.1% (or 15,571 dwellings) of existing dwellings were attached dwellings (1–3 storeys). In 2016–2017, approval was given for 64 attached dwellings (1–3 storeys) representing 7.2% of all building approvals. High-rise dwellings (attached 4+ storeys) comprised 2.2% of existing stock and 5.8% (52 dwellings) of 2016–2017 approvals.
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Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday regional planning area
The Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday region had 73,172 dwellings in 2016. Building approvals data indicates 254 new dwellings were approved in 2016–2017.
Detached dwellings dominate the Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday region with 83.6% of all existing dwellings or 61,178 dwellings. Recent (2016–2017) building approvals data indicates a greater proportion of detached dwellings (99.2% of new building approvals or 252 dwellings).
No high-rise dwellings (attached 4+ storeys) were approved for the period 2016–2017, while 2 dwellings were approved in the attached dwellings (1–3 storeys) category over the same period.
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North West Queensland regional planning area
North West Queensland regional planning area had 10,815 dwellings in 2016 with a further 18 new dwellings approved in 2016–2017.
Detached dwellings dominate in this region (76.9% or 8,322 existing dwellings in 2016).
The total number of new dwelling approvals is too low for any meaningful interpretation of the split of dwelling types in North West Queensland.
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South West Queensland regional planning area
South West Queensland region had 3,406 dwellings in 2016 with a further 4 new dwellings approved in 2016–2017.
Detached dwellings dominate existing stock, accounting for 3,210 dwellings (94.2%), with the remaining 5.8% (196 dwellings) being attached dwellings (1–3 storeys)
The total number of recent dwelling approvals is too low for any meaningful interpretation of the split of dwelling types in South West Queensland.
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South East Queensland regional planning area
The South East Queensland region had 1,344,819 dwellings in 2016 with 37,355 new dwellings approved in 2016–2017.
Dwelling approvals for SEQ in 2016–2017 indicate 47.3% of all approvals (17,645 dwellings) were for attached dwellings (both 1–3 storeys and 4+ storeys). In comparison, 28.1% of all dwelling stock as at the 2016 Census were attached dwellings (377,476 dwellings). The difference is primarily due to a significantly higher proportion of high-rise dwellings (attached 4+ storeys) approved (23.8% of approved dwellings in 2016–2017 or 8,873 dwellings) compared to 6.1% (81,513 dwellings) of the 2016 dwelling stock. Attached dwellings (1–3 storeys) comprised 22% (295,963 dwellings) of the existing stock in 2016 and 23.5% (8,772 dwellings) of the dwellings approved in 2016–2017. Detached dwellings comprised 71.9% (967,343 dwellings) of existing dwellings in 2016 compared to 52.8% (19,710 dwellings) of those approved in 2016–2017.
The high approval rates for high-rise dwellings (attached 4+ storeys) will facilitate the more efficient use of land and infrastructure over time through the further consolidation of the regional settlement pattern. However, the sustainability of the recent high rate of approvals is dependent on continued demand for this dwelling type.
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Central West regional planning area
There were 5,266 dwellings in the Central West regional planning area in 2016. Building approvals data indicates 6 new dwellings were approved in 2016–2017.
The total number of these recent dwelling approvals is too low for any meaningful interpretation of the split of dwelling types in the Central West. However, detached dwellings dominate in the area (93.3% of all existing dwellings or 4,914 dwellings).
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Darling Downs regional planning area
The Darling Downs regional planning area had 110,935 dwellings in 2016. Building approvals data indicates 1,408 new dwellings were approved in 2016–2017.
The area’s housing stock is dominated by detached dwellings (86.2% or 95,618 dwellings). Only 13.7% of dwelling stock in 2016 was attached dwellings (1–3 storeys) (15,202 dwellings). Building approvals for 2016–2017 show a higher proportion of new attached dwellings (1–3 storeys) (32.2% or 454 dwellings) compared to existing dwelling stock. No approvals were given for high-rise dwellings (attached 4+ storeys) in the Darling Downs region for 2016–2017 and 115 such dwellings existed in 2016 (less than 1%).
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Wide Bay Burnett regional planning area
Wide Bay Burnett region had 128,917 dwellings in 2016 with a further 1,704 new dwellings approved in 2016–2017.
In 2016, Wide Bay Burnett’s dwelling stock comprised mostly detached houses (88.9% or 114,653 dwellings).
Building approvals for 2016–2017 indicate that 92% (1,568 dwellings) of new approved dwellings were detached dwellings. Nearly all the remaining 11.1% (14,264 dwellings) of existing dwellings in 2016 were attached dwellings (1–3 storeys) and they made up all of the remaining 8% (136 dwellings) of approved dwellings in 2016–2017. Only 605 attached 4+ storeys dwellings existed in 2016, less than 1% of total stock.
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Gulf regional planning area
The Gulf region’s existing dwelling stock was 2,238 dwellings in 2016. Building approvals data indicates 44 new dwellings were approved in 2016–2017.
Detached dwellings dominate the Gulf region, with 88.6% (1,982 dwellings) of all existing dwellings and attached dwellings (1–3 storeys) comprising the remaining 11.4% (256 dwellings). Of all new dwellings approved in 2016–2017, 42 were detached dwellings and 2 were attached dwellings (1–3 storeys).
These numbers are too low for any meaningful interpretation of the split of dwelling types approved.
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Far North Queensland regional planning area
Far North Queensland regional planning area had 105,638 dwellings as at the 2016 Census. Building approvals data indicates 966 new dwellings were approved in 2016–2017.
Detached dwellings dominate Far North Queensland housing stock at 76.7% (81,025 dwellings), while attached dwellings (1–3 storeys) make up 21.5% of housing stock (22,665 dwellings). Data indicates 91% of 2016–17 building approvals were for detached dwellings (879 dwellings), while approvals for attached dwellings (1–3 storeys) were low compared to existing dwelling stock (5.4% or 52 dwellings approved compared to 21.5% of existing dwelling stock (22,665 dwellings)). High-rise dwellings (attached 4+ storeys) accounted for 1,948 dwellings (1.8% of existing dwelling stock) in 2016 with approvals for a further 35 high-rise dwellings (3.6% of all approved dwellings) in 2016–2017.
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Cape York regional planning area
In 2016, the Cape York region had 5,822 dwellings, with building approvals in 2016–2017 for 165 new dwellings.
Detached dwellings dominate Cape York’s housing stock, and this was reflected in building approvals for detached dwellings in 2016–2017 (155 dwellings or 93.9% of dwellings approved). Building approvals in 2016–2017 for attached dwellings (1–3 storeys) comprised just 10 dwellings (6.1% of all dwellings approved in Cape York).
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Indicator: Housing diversity — proportion of new approved residential dwellings
'Dwelling counts by Local Government Area and Statistical Area Level 2, by dwelling type and dwelling structure, Queensland, 2016 Census’ were used to ascertain existing dwelling stock at the 2016 Census, sourced from Australian Bureau of Statistics, TableBuilderPro, 5 July 2017. 2016–2017 New Dwelling Building Approvals data sourced from Australian Bureau of Statistics, 8731.0 – Building Approvals, Local Government Area and Statistical Area Level 2: Queensland, November 2017 release (extracted from SuperTable Data Cube).