Planning for our future

City of Moreton Bay is planning for our city's future growth by considering a mix of housing, employment and environmental land uses, as well as the infrastructure, amenities and facilities to support a happy and healthy lifestyle for our residents. This includes a long-term plan for the administrative area known as Narangba East, which takes in parts of Narangba, Burpengary and Dakabin.

What the new 2026 TLPI does

If approved by the State Planning Minister, the new 2026 TLPI would effectively replace the current 2025 TLPI that is set to expire on 18 June 2026. The new 2026 TLPI would continue to pause urban development in parts of the RRIA. Consistent with the 2025 TLPI it would:

  • maintain existing landowners' development rights under rural residential zoning (for example: extensions, sheds or renovations)
  • restrict incompatible urban development applications that could compromise orderly planning and future development of the RRIA.

It also includes an update that allows a limited area to transition to compatible early urban development, subject to planning approvals, managing amenity impacts on surrounding properties and ensuring suitable access to major roads. This area is located near existing industry land uses and fronts parts of Old Gympie Road and Richards Road.

Subject to approval from the State Government Planning Minister, the full details of the new 2026 TLPI, including the proposed early release area, will be made publicly available on this webpage.

The TLPI is intended as a short-term measure (up to 24 months) while we seek feedback on and finalise the Future Directions Report and prepare and finalise a planning scheme amendment. The planning scheme amendment would include additional opportunities for community feedback.

Further information on the new 2026 TLPI can be found in the FAQ section on this webpage.

Read the media release from 26 March 2026

Where the planning investigation is up to

Since it commenced in June 2023, the project has been working towards a long-term plan for Narangba East. We are now nearing the end of Phase 2 and are preparing the draft Future Directions Report.

The draft Future Directions Report will provide greater certainty for landowners, stakeholders and investors by clearly outlining:

  • the proposed locations and types of future employment and enterprise uses
  • future housing areas
  • environmental corridors
  • how change and transition to urban uses will be managed.

Community consultation on the draft Future Directions Report is planned for mid-2026.

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Narangba East Planning Investigation

City of Moreton Bay is growing, and we need to plan now so residents in our communities have the jobs, housing, infrastructure and environment they need in the future.

Narangba East has been in the State Government’s urban footprint since 2009, and parts of the area have already transitioned from rural residential to urban development. A long-term plan is needed to guide land use, infrastructure, environmental outcomes and community needs for this area that is already undergoing change.

The Narangba East Planning Investigation (NEPI) is looking at the area’s suitability to support future urban development including residential and employment/industry uses.

The NEPI is focused on 1020ha of land in the Rural residential zone of the Narangba East Planning Area (see map here for the parts of Narangba, Burpengary and Dakabin that it takes in).

Alongside its potential for residential development, parts of the Rural Residential Investigation Area (RRIA) may also be able to be used for employment/industry. This is because it is strategically located near major transport and logistics infrastructure like the Bruce Highway, Brisbane Airport and Port of Brisbane.

Preliminary economic modelling shows future enterprise and employment areas in Narangba East could support around 15,000 full time equivalent jobs and generate approximately $1.6 billion in wages and salaries annually. This could help deliver more local jobs close to home.

Not all land within the RRIA will be suitable for future urban development. Decisions about what the land is suitable for and how it transitions to different uses will consider surrounding land uses, city land supply needs, community and industry feedback, available or planned infrastructure, site-based environmental values and site constraints.

Overall, the project will establish a long-term vision for land that will:

  • deliver a well-planned, complete community
  • identify preferred locations for a centre and retail services, parks and recreational facilities, roads and movement connections
  • protect environmental corridors
  • provide better transparency and certainty of development outcomes for the community.

The project is being done in three phases and is supported by a Temporary Local Planning Instrument.


Preliminary land use and environmental planning directions

In Phase 1, we did technical studies to inform Council’s long-term intent for land uses in the RRIA to help support the City’s future housing and employment growth.

We completed a land use feasibility study investigating the opportunity for employment/industrial land uses within the RRIA. The study found parts of the RRIA have the potential to accommodate a future employment/industrial precinct.

We also prepared the Narangba East Preliminary Planning Directions Map.

This map identifies where more detailed planning will be done in Phase 2, including:

  • Emerging community investigation areas being considered for their suitability for future urban residential growth
  • Future enterprise and employment areas being considered for their suitability for future industrial and employment uses
  • Indicative environmental connections being considered to protect high value environmental corridors for local fauna and flora, manage areas affected by potential flooding and bushfire, integrate recreation spaces and active transport pathways and provide separation between different land uses.

The map also identifies Retained rural residential areas where no changes are proposed.

The outcomes of Phase 1 are not a planning scheme amendment and do not change the local planning rules or the zoning of land.

Intergrated land use and infrastructure planning

Building on the work completed in Phase 1, we are doing more detailed land use, environmental and infrastructure planning.

At the end of this phase, we will have Land Use Directions to guide long-term development in the area for different land uses, such as urban housing and employment/industry.

We expect to prepare planning scheme amendments to implement the Land Use Directions and other policy directions prepared in Phase 2. Any proposed changes to the current local planning rules will go through a statutory process and include community engagement.

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