Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner to announce major changes to city planning

Apartments could become more affordable in Brisbane under Adrian Schrinner’s plan to remove outdated requirements for new developments.

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Apartments could become more affordable in Brisbane under Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner’s plan to remove outdated minimum carparking requirements for new developments in high-density areas.

Mr Schrinner on Thursday revealed the significant change to city planning, which could slash $100,000 off the cost of building an apartment. The Premier has since backed the plan.

The change to remove minimum carparking requirements per unit will apply to well-connected, inner-city areas including parts of Fortitude Valley, Kangaroo Point, Milton and Newstead.

Industry stakeholders estimate the cost of building an underground or podium level car park within a new Brisbane high-rise development was more than $100,000 per space.

Premier Steven Miles on Thursday backed the plan, saying it was “ludicrous” people living in areas well serviced by public transport were being made to pay for one or even two car park spaces.

“Frankly I think there are more parts of the city where this (new) policy could be applied,” he said.

Mr Miles said the state government would always support “sensible proposals” by councils to deliver greater housing supply.

“You’ve seen me talk about the effect of overseas migration and how right now that is leading to population growth at twice the rate the industry can build homes,” he said.

“A shortfall of 27,000 homes every year and in that environment I cannot in good conscience stand in the way of good ideas that will allow industry to build more homes (and) more affordable homes.”

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner

Australian Bureau of Statistics data reveals one third of Brisbane homes were single adult households and more than 60 per cent of those in the four suburbs own one or no cars.

Under current planning requirements developers are forced to build one car space per one-bedroom dwelling and two spaces per two-bedroom and three-bedroom dwellings.

Mr Schrinner said removing parking requirements in four new suburbs would put downward pressure on the price of new apartments and stimulate liveability near high-employment areas.

“With single adult homes now making up one in three Brisbane households, we urgently need more homes but not as many expensive carparking spaces,” he said.

“By removing mandatory minimum carparking requirements under our Inner-City Affordability Initiative we can put downward pressure on the price of building and buying a new apartment in those areas of Brisbane with great access to frequent public transport.

“It will mean more people will be able to afford to live in areas close to transport and key employment centres like the CBD,” he said.

“Our approach preserves Brisbane’s low-density suburbs and helps prevent urban sprawl, which contributes to congestion and causes significant transport and environmental costs.”

Urban Development Institute of Australia chief executive Kirsty Chessher-Brown said the move was fitting for an evolving city.

“The institute has long advocated for this measure because our research had already revealed that … more households in Brisbane have access to public transport options than ever before,” she said.

“At the same time, our research also showed that the cost of implementing the existing carparking rates had become a major factor increasing the price of a well-located apartment, well beyond what people could actually afford.”

Originally published as Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner to announce major changes to city planning