Far North Queensland Regional Plan (under review)

About the plan

• About the draft FNQ Regional Plan 2025

  

  FNQ includes the local government areas of:

  • Cairns Regional Council
  • Cassowary Coast Regional Council
  • Douglas Shire Council
  • Etheridge Shire Council (newly added)
  • Mareeba Shire Council
  • Tablelands Regional Council
  • Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council
  • Yarrabah Aboriginal Shire Council.

  FNQ is forecast to increase to a population of between 341,360 and 378,340 people by 2046 (from 264,555 people in 2021). Many are drawn to the region’s natural landscape, outdoor lifestyle and economic opportunities, particularly in the areas of agriculture and tourism and growing defence, marine, aviation, health and knowledge industries.

  The draft FNQ Regional Plan 2025 includes the vision and strategic direction for the FNQ region structured around five key themes: housing, thriving economy, ecotourism and biodiversity, healthy and liveable communities, and infrastructure (draft FNQ Infrastructure Plan 2025).

  Key priorities in the plan include:

  • accelerating housing supply in well-located, infrastructure-supported areas
  • supporting a thriving regional economy
  • protecting and enhancing unique biodiversity, natural assets, resources and landscapes
  • enhancing a sense of regional identity and improving quality of life, health and wellbeing for FNQ’s communities
  • supporting efficient and resilient transport infrastructure while managing affordable and reliable water and energy systems.

• Key themes and outcomes

  The draft FNQ Regional Plan 2025 is structured around five key themes. Each theme has policy outcomes attributed to them.

  Housing

  By 2046, the FNQ region will require between 34,455 and 48,485 new homes. To meet this demand, the plan provides for residential land supply in well-located, infrastructure-supported areas.

  Key outcomes:

  • Increasing supply of housing in new and established communities and higher density in appropriate, well-serviced locations.
  • Identifying a new Priority Development Area at Mount Peter as critical to fast-tracking the supply of housing and infrastructure for the region.
  • Analysis of current urban land supply, indicating that no further significant changes to the Urban Footprint are required.
  • Setting housing targets to align with the Queensland Government’s goal of one million new homes by 2044.

  Thriving Economy

  Meeting industrial land and employment needs and managing natural economic resources are key priorities for achieving a thriving economy.

  Key outcomes:

  • Supporting growth in tourism and agriculture, and continued expansion into emerging  defence, marine, aerospace, health and knowledge precincts and mining projects.
  • Supporting agricultural diversification and growth by identifying Priority Agricultural Areas (PAAs).
  • Identifying existing and emerging regional activity centres as locations of investment and development to strengthen and diversify the region’s economy.
  • Identifying Regional Industrial Areas (RIAs), comprising Major Industrial Areas, Industrial Areas and Major Economic Assets.

  Ecotourism and Biodiversity

  FNQ includes parts of the Wet Tropics, Einasleigh Uplands, Gulf Plains and Cape York bioregions, and the Wet Tropics and Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Areas (WHAs). The plan aims to protect and enhance the region’s unique biodiversity and natural assets, which are critical to the region’s lifestyle and economy.

  Key outcomes:

  • Supporting a well-established ecotourism sector centred on nature-based and cultural experiences.
  • Identifying and enhancing regional biodiversity corridors and Strategic Rehabilitation Areas (SRAs) to protect World Heritage Area (WHA) values and improve habitat connectivity. Mapping SRAs to support land use policy and focus further place-based planning and restoration activities.
  • Retaining minimum lot sizes for subdivisions to protect the region’s natural resources and regional landscapes and preserve land for possible future agricultural production and other economic activities.
  • Considering the suitability of windfarm projects adjacent to the Wet Tropics WHA and identifying a proposed area of high scenic amenity in accordance with State Code 23: Wind farm development.

  Healthy and Liveable Communities

  The plan focuses on enhancing a sense of regional identity and improving quality of life, health and wellbeing for FNQ’s  communities.

  Key outcomes:

  • Creating communities that are vibrant, healthy and inclusive places, contributing to the region’s character and active outdoor lifestyle.
  • Building resilience against natural hazards, including urban heat.

  Infrastructure (draft FNQ Infrastructure Plan 2025)

  The plan is being developed alongside the draft FNQ Infrastructure Plan 2025, which is provided as a dedicated appendix.

  The draft FNQ Infrastructure Plan 2025 now includes regional infrastructure policy content that will be implemented through local planning schemes and development assessment processes. This marks a shift from purely strategic guidance contained in previous infrastructure plans, to enable infrastructure policies to be embedded within statutory planning frameworks.

  Key outcomes:

  • Providing clarity on future infrastructure planning considerations for specific infrastructure classes, covering transport, water, energy, digital connectivity, and social and community infrastructure.
  • Supporting efficient and resilient transport infrastructure while managing more affordable and reliable water and energy systems.
  • Introducing Region Shaping Infrastructure (RSI), which is focused on improving connectivity between FNQ’s activity centres, precincts, industrial areas and major economic assets, with other regions, to promote economic growth in FNQ.