Brisbane has announced the next stage of its anti-sprawl housing strategy, with Nundah Village named as one of three suburban centres earmarked for increased residential density.
Read: Work Set to Begin on Danby Lane Development in Nundah Village
The plan is designed to address the city’s housing shortage by directing new homes toward established, well-serviced locations rather than pushing growth into lower-density neighbourhoods.
Nundah joins Indooroopilly Shopping Centre and Carindale Shopping Centre as the focus of the latest round of planning changes. The three centres were selected because of their strong public transport connections. Nundah and Indooroopilly each have train stations, while Carindale is served by a bus interchange.
The Proposal
For Nundah Village, the plan covers the area within the boundaries of the rail line, Robinson Road, Ryans Road, Nundah Street, Eton Street, Sandgate Road and Donkin Street.
The proposed changes include a height increase from 12 to 15 storeys in the major centre zone, as well as an increase to 10 storeys in surrounding mixed-use zones, up from the current five-to-eight storey settings. The proposed height increases in Nundah are smaller in scale than those put forward for Indooroopilly and Carindale. Indooroopilly could see heights climb to 25 storeys, up from a current allowable 20, while Carindale is proposed to reach up to 30 storeys in and to the north of the shopping centre, compared to the current 10.
Rather than simply allowing taller buildings, the focus in Nundah is on greater flexibility to deliver more residential homes within mixed-use buildings. To give effect to the changes across all three centres, Brisbane City Plan 2014 will be updated.
The Rationale
Cr Adrian Schrinner said Brisbane was growing rapidly and that the city needed to respond. He noted that more than 600 people move to Brisbane every week, and that the city urgently needs more homes while also resisting sprawl that impacts bushland and adds to traffic congestion. He said the anti-sprawl housing plan was aimed at putting homes where the jobs, transport and services already are, and that Indooroopilly, Carindale and Nundah were the right places for that growth. By 2046, Brisbane is projected to need around 210,800 new homes to support its growing population.
Committee for Brisbane CEO Jen Williams said that one of the biggest challenges facing a growing Brisbane was traffic congestion and car dependency. She said there was no better way to reduce congestion than by ensuring new homes were built close to services and in locations well-served by public transport.
Better Suburbs Initiative Chair Ross Elliott said suburban centres had been evolving for decades, having originally been planned as places people drove to primarily for shopping, but since expanded to include entertainment, medical and a range of other uses. He said allowing more diversity of housing choices within walking distance of these centres made sense for downsizers, essential workers and others, and that the renewal process would be delivered by private capital.
The anti-sprawl housing plan sits alongside Brisbane’s wider Suburban Renewal Precincts program, which began in 2022 and is aimed at transforming underutilised land into mixed-use communities. Work is currently underway or planned across a number of suburbs including Alderley, Stones Corner, Wynnum, Sandgate, Mt Gravatt, Upper Mt Gravatt and Chermside.
Read: New Retirement Village Planned for Nundah
Community consultation on the Nundah Village proposal, along with the Indooroopilly and Carindale changes, is scheduled to open on 24 April, after the end of the school holidays.
Published 19-March-2026
