Subdivision in Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast & Noosa — 2026 Queensland Council Guide

Overview

The stretch of South East Queensland from Moreton Bay north through the Sunshine Coast to Noosa represents one of Australia's most dynamic planning environments. Moreton Bay — now formally the City of Moreton Bay after its council upgrade — is among the five fastest-growing LGAs in Australia, driven by corridor growth at Caboolture, Morayfield, and Narangba. The Sunshine Coast is mid-way through a new planning scheme that will reshape how subdivision is assessed across the region. And Noosa remains one of the nation's most restrictive councils for subdivision, prioritising environmental protection and community character over housing supply.

For property owners and developers active across this corridor, the differences between adjacent councils can be stark — what is straightforward in Morayfield may be impossible in Noosa just 80 kilometres north.

City of Moreton Bay

The City of Moreton Bay (formerly Moreton Bay Regional Council) has undergone a naming change as part of its recognition as a major urban local government. The council's planning scheme — the Moreton Bay Regional Council Planning Scheme 2016 — governs subdivision across this vast and rapidly changing LGA.

Growth Precincts: Caboolture, Morayfield, Narangba

The growth corridor running from Narangba through Morayfield to Caboolture is one of the most active residential development corridors in Australia. Three major drivers underpin this activity:

• Affordability: Entry-level lot prices in Narangba and Morayfield remain significantly below Brisbane equivalents, drawing first-home buyers and investors who have been priced out of inner and middle-ring suburbs.
• Infrastructure investment: The North Coast rail line connects Caboolture and Morayfield to Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, and ongoing road upgrades along the Bruce Highway corridor support continued population growth.
• Waraba Priority Development Area: The Waraba PDA — a landmark satellite city development spanning approximately 3,000 hectares — is planned to deliver 30,000 new homes, 13 schools, six retail hubs, a TAFE, and a private hospital. This is one of the largest planned urban developments in Queensland's history and will reshape land values and development activity across the northern Moreton Bay corridor for decades.

For residential subdivision in Moreton Bay's growth precincts, minimum lot sizes in the General Residential Zone start from 400 m² (with frontage minimums of 10 metres in some precincts). In the Low-Medium Density Residential Zone, smaller lots of 200–300 m² may be achievable subject to design compliance. Greenfield subdivision in Caboolture South and Waraba PDA operates under the Priority Development Area framework, with development schemes setting specific subdivision criteria distinct from the standard planning scheme.

Sunshine Coast Council

Sunshine Coast Council is in the midst of its most significant planning scheme review in a decade. Community consultation on the Proposed Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme closed in September 2025, with the proposed scheme then lodged with the Queensland State Government for review. As of June 2026, state government feedback is being incorporated, with formal adoption anticipated in 2026–2027. Until the new scheme takes effect, the Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014 continues to govern all subdivision.

Aura Master-Planned Community and Caloundra West

The Aura master-planned community — formally known as the Caloundra South Priority Development Area — is the Sunshine Coast's most significant large-scale subdivision pipeline. Located between Caloundra and the Bruce Highway, Aura is planned to accommodate approximately 50,000 residents across 20,000 dwellings when fully built out, making it one of the largest greenfield communities on the Sunshine Coast.

The development is overseen by Stockland, with subdivision lots released in stages. Key planning features of the Aura PDA include:

• A mixture of lot sizes from approximately 300 m² (small lot housing product) through to standard residential lots of 450–600 m².
• A dedicated activity centre, Aura Town Centre, which is intended to serve the full community once built out.
• The Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines has been consulting on a new locality called Aura Central — approximately 90 hectares moved from Bells Creek into the Caloundra South PDA — signalling ongoing planning evolution in the precinct.

Beyond Aura, Palmview (a priority development area west of Sippy Downs) and the longer-term Beerwah East PDA are also part of the Sunshine Coast's housing supply strategy — providing a pipeline of master-planned subdivision activity that will continue for many years.

Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme Amendments 2026

The proposed new Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme introduces updated minimum lot sizes, zone restructuring, and revised design codes that will materially affect what is achievable for infill and greenfield subdivision. While the full scheme is pending final adoption, town planners operating in the region are already factoring anticipated changes into pre-application advice. Key reported changes include refinements to minimum lot sizes in medium-density precincts and updated provisions for dual occupancy development.

Noosa Council

Noosa Council sits at the opposite end of the development spectrum from Moreton Bay. It is one of the few councils in Queensland that has successfully resisted state-level pressure to significantly increase housing density, maintaining tight growth controls that reflect the community's strong desire to preserve Noosa's character, environmental values, and liveability.

Strict Subdivision Controls

The Noosa Plan 2020 (now at Amendment 2, October 2025) governs all subdivision within the shire. The plan's approach to subdivision reflects Noosa's growth management philosophy:

• Subdivision is only supported within the designated Urban Footprint. Outside the urban boundary, further subdivision of rural residential lots within the Water Supply Buffer Area is not permitted under the Regional Infrastructure Overlay.
• Minimum lot sizes are set by zone and cannot be varied without a planning scheme amendment — there is no equivalent of Brisbane's 300 m² infill pathway in Noosa.
• The Biodiversity, Waterways and Wetlands Overlay applies across significant portions of the shire. Outside the urban boundary, no further subdivision is permitted in areas constrained by this overlay.
• Lot sizes in the Low-Density Residential Zone typically require a minimum of 600 m², and in rural residential zones minimums of 2,000 m² to 4,000 m² are common — making the kind of small-lot subdivision that is routine in Moreton Bay impossible in most of Noosa.

Infrastructure Charges Comparison

Infrastructure charges represent a significant cost in any subdivision project across this corridor. The Unitywater Infrastructure Charges Schedule applies to all three council areas for water and sewerage components (from 1 July 2025, average residential bills increased approximately 4.9%). Council-side charges vary significantly:

Note: These are indicative ranges only and will vary by location, zone, and current charges resolution. Always verify current charges with the relevant council and Unitywater before committing to a project.

2026 Outlook and Key Trends

Across this corridor, the divergence between high-growth Moreton Bay and growth-controlled Noosa will continue to define where subdivision is viable in 2026 and beyond:

• Waraba PDA launch: The staged rollout of lots in the Waraba satellite city precinct will dominate greenfield subdivision supply in Moreton Bay's northern corridor for years.
• Sunshine Coast new planning scheme: Adoption of the new scheme in 2026–2027 will reset the rules for infill and medium-density subdivision across the region — early engagement with the proposed scheme is advisable.
• Noosa growth boundary pressure: Despite state government pressure to increase housing supply across SEQ, Noosa has consistently defended its growth management approach. Any change to Noosa's growth boundary would require a state-level intervention — currently not signalled.