Speech to Chambers

Speech delivered by Councillor Seal Chong Wah, to full Council Chambers, during debate on Amendments to Brisbane City Plan 2014 - More Homes, Sooner - Low-Medium Density Residential Design, on 9th June 2026

I rise to speak on the E&C Committee report Clause A, regarding proposed amendments to the Low-Medium Density Residential Design.

As this city grows, the Greens have been advocating for a gentle density, through allowing more small secondary dwellings to be built without removing trees or reducing the amenity of neighbours, and through greater reliance on medium-density, human-scaled development around local high streets with greater deep planting and existing tree retention for growth.

The 2 to 4 storey apartments and townhouses that this would allow in LMR zones sit in the ‘missing middle’, between towers and detached homes. 

This is the scale of citywide, gentle density that the Greens have been calling for. These buildings make up the bulk of housing in dense cities worldwide, like Seoul, Paris, or Prague.

While Brisbane should move towards more human-friendly medium density, this transition should not be at the cost of our tree canopy, deep planting and softscape. 

Our city’s vegetation and greenspace are vital to create resilience for the climate crisis.

This amendment would allow for smaller subdivision of lots in the LMR zone down to potentially 120m2, and for smaller subdivisions in low density residential zones within 300 metres of a high street or shopping centre.

This raises concerns. Without high and strict minimum deep planting and maximum site cover requirements, these subdivisions would further accelerate tree clearing across Brisbane’s suburbs.

While the amendment includes acceptable outcomes requiring a maximum of 55% site cover and 70% impervious surfaces, the Performance Outcomes required by the planning framework will allow developers to cover more of the site, remove more trees in Brisbane’s canopy, and worsen the urban heat island effect across this city. 

These ‘performance outcomes’ contain the true planning conditions, where our ‘planning minimums’ are negotiated away by private planning consultants.

The Council has argued that this would allow row-house developments, but these are already possible as multiple-dwellings or townhouses. 

I know my residents would also be concerned about the loss of character in many areas where this is an important feature of the suburbs. We are seeing so many new developments not even trying to preserve the character of an area. These changes could see further transgressions of the Traditional Building Character overlay that we are already experiencing. 

The Council should not allow developers to carve up such small subdivisions that they will then ‘have no option’ but to concrete over the entire block.

Most importantly, this will not bring down house prices or rent on its own, nor ‘fix’ the housing crisis.

To house the 11,500 people in this Council area who are homeless, and the thousands of renters at risk of homelessness, the Greens have been calling for mandatory inclusionary zoning.

The Greens have been calling for 25% of multiple-dwelling developments that include 10 or more dwellings, to be provided for public or social housing. 

Genuinely affordable public and community housing is the only way to guarantee that struggling people can afford to live in this city.

This Council must implement mandatory inclusionary zoning, so that everybody can afford to live in every neighbourhood.

Here's a link to the Brisbane City Council webpage with detailed information about changes to Low to Medium Residential zoning.