The Queensland Government has completed its review of the State Facilitated Development (SFD) framework and made amendments through the Planning (State Facilitated Development) Amendment Regulation 2026.
These changes require developments meet zoning requirement and receive written support from local government to proceed through the SFD pathway. However, it also removes the previous requirement for 15% of dwellings in SFD applications to be allocated as ‘affordable’ housing, which stated:
(1) For section 106D(2)(b) of the Act, the following criteria are prescribed—
(a) the development the subject of the relevant application must—
(i) be for predominantly residential development; and
(ii) include an affordable housing component that equates to at least 15% of all dwellings resulting from the development;
(b)the affordable housing component must provide—
(i)a diverse mix of dwelling types; or
(ii)diversity in the number of bedrooms contained in dwellings;
The removal of the affordability mandate has expanded the eligibility criteria for declaring an SFD application, which now only requires that:
(a) the development the subject of the relevant application must be for predominantly residential development;
(b) the application must comply with either of the following—
(i) the premises the subject of the application are completely within a zone supporting residential development;
(ii) the premises the subject of the application are not within an environmental zone or a limited development zone, and the Minister is satisfied the premises are or can be readily serviced by infrastructure for the development.
While we appreciate the new framework will require local government approval, particularly following previous applications that bypassed local planning schemes, given the absence of the affordability mandate within the revised framework, concerns are being raised. Housing and homelessness advocates, including QShelter, have also highlighted the importance of integrating affordability targets to ensure outcomes meet community needs.
Ongoing Advocacy
We will continue to engage with the Queensland Government regarding these changes, including advocating for policy settings that balance increased housing supply with genuine affordability outcomes. This includes ensuring that reforms deliver practical benefits for workers, families and vulnerable residents, while supporting appropriate development pathways.
Further information
For all our previous Noosa 360 updates on the SFDs, please visit www.sandybolton.com/?s=State+Facilitated+Development.
For our latest housing updates, please visit www.sandybolton.com/?s=Housing.
To contact the relevant Minister, email deputy.premier@ministerial.qld.gov.au. Please copy our office in via noosa@parliament.qld.gov.au and forward us any response that you receive.