Increased building heights, smaller blocks and fewer parking spaces will be permitted to spur on housing construction in some parts of Brisbane.

Areas zoned “low-medium density residential” – which make up about 14 per cent of the city – would be impacted under the plan, with the lord mayor highlighting Morningside, St Lucia, Moorooka and Zillmere as areas that would see change.

The LNP council says its policy could create up to 6000 new homes before the Brisbane Olympic Games, and help moderate runaway prices and reduce urban sprawl.

“Do we want to be a city where young people have the opportunity to get themselves into a home?” Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said in the council chamber on Tuesday afternoon.

“If the answer is yes, which it absolutely should be, then we need to continue to evolve our planning scheme to allow that to happen.”

Maximum building heights will increase to at least three storeys, and four storeys in some areas near public transport or shopping hubs.

Fewer parking spaces will also be required for each apartment built, with council saying second spaces can cost upwards of $82,000 each in some parts of the city.

Minimum block sizes will be more than halved, from 260 square metres to 120 square metres.

Subdivision into 300 square-metre lots is already permitted on blocks within 200 metres of shopping centres. This would be increased to 300 metres.

The assessment process will also be streamlined to speed up and simplify approvals.

Schrinner took a shot at the Labor opposition and Greens’ push for affordable housing targets and other regulations, instead arguing for a supply-side construction blitz to ease house prices.

“There are some politicians that would have you believe that the solution to the housing situation is rent freezes, higher taxes on home builders, more mandatory provisions on home builders,” he said.

“We know the reality is that these things actually make houses less affordable and force up construction costs.

“They are not solutions, and anyone who tells you they’re solutions is pulling your leg.”

The leader of the Labor council opposition, Jared Cassidy, welcomed the changes but said they were not enough to curb city congestion.

“These changes are long overdue. First home buyers and downsizers have been suffering for years, locked out of the housing market because of Adrian Schrinner’s inaction,” he said.

“If the Lord Mayor wants to reduce car parking requirements, he needs to back it up with more public transport that connect our suburbs together, not just in and out of the city. Otherwise, the city will continue to suffer with congested streets.”

A formal public consultation period for the plan will begin next year.

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